Doctor says vendor may have been in rubble 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 rewards Basij militia with political clout
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....

Officials: Afghan avalanches kill 157 people
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....

Political supporters clash in streets of Sri Lanka
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....

China jails young man for joining 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....

Arrested Tijuana cops 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 fixing Priuses recalled in Japan
TOKYO (AP) -- Prius owners in Japan are rushing to dealers Wednesday, a day after Toyota's president announced a global recall. Instead of screwdrivers and wrenches, what the mechanic is using to tackle the fix is a small laptop-like device that rewrites programming for the brakes....

Myanmar court sentences US man to 3 years' prison
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....

Suspect on trial in Indonesia hotel bombings
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 envoy in North Korea to spur nuke talks
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....