Doctor at Haiti field hospital says vendor may have been trapped in quake rubble for 27 days
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- The tale seems dubious: that a rice vendor survived 27 days trapped under the rubble of a flea market following Haiti's devastating earthquake....

Iran is rewarding Basij militia with greater political voice
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- During an Iranian government meeting late last month, a top adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brought a proposal to expand the political voice of a group more known for its street muscle: the civilian militia corps called the Basij....

Afghan Interior Ministry says 157 people have been killed in avalanches
KABUL (AP) -- At least 157 people have been killed in a series of avalanches that blocked a mountain pass north of Kabul, trapping hundreds more in their snowbound vehicles, Afghan officials said Wednesday....

Sri Lanka police fire tear gas in bid to break up street clashes between political opponents
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Government supporters hurled stones at thousands of opposition activists demonstrating against the arrest of their defeated presidential candidate in Sri Lanka's capital Wednesday....

20-year-old man in China jailed 18 months for joining banned political party
BEIJING (AP) -- A 20-year-old factory worker who joined a banned political party because he was unhappy with one-party rule in China was sentenced to jail for 18 months Wednesday, his mother said....

Crackdown on Mexican cartel leads to arrest of Tijuana cops who were hailed as models
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) -- Just a few weeks ago, the two officers were lauded as part of a new breed of honest cop, elevated to become key players in a drive to overhaul one of Mexico's most notorious police forces....

Toyota starts with Prius fix in Japan in third massive global recall in 4 months
TOKYO (AP) -- Prius owners in Japan are rushing to dealers for repairs a day after Toyota's president announced a global recall for a glitch in the car's antilock brake system....

Myanmar court sentences US man to 3 years over forged documents, undeclared currency
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- A Myanmar court ordered a U.S. citizen Wednesday to serve three years in prison for entering the military-ruled country with forged documents and undeclared foreign currency....

Islamist militant accused in Indonesian hotel bombings claims plot to assassinate president
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- An alleged Islamist militant being tried on charges of harboring terrorists behind deadly twin hotel bombings in the Indonesian capital claimed Wednesday that he had helped craft a plot to assassinate the president....

UN in Pyongyang to spur disarmament talks; NKorean, Chinese nuclear envoys meet in Beijing
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- A senior U.N. envoy pressed ahead Wednesday with international efforts to get North Korea back into nuclear disarmament talks, during the world body's first high-level visit to the reclusive state in nearly six years....