TUMULTUOUS TIMES: The military officers who led the attempted coup were charged yesterday, after events that were remarkably similar to another attempt four years ago
Philippine police filed rebellion complaints yesterday against 50 military officers and their supporters -- including a former Philippine vice president -- following a failed attempt to trigger a "people power" revolt against the president.

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Japan and China failed to make progress in resolving a dispute over natural resources in the East China Sea in talks in Beijing yesterday, Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said.

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China's high-speed, high-altitude railway to Tibet carried troops to the region for the first time, state media has reported, in a development likely to fuel concerns about the railway's impact on the restive Himalayan area.

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KICKSTART: The former prime minister is the first major political leader to launch an election campaign since President Pervez Musharraf quit his post as military leader
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto arrived in northwestern Pakistan yesterday to launch her election campaign, a day after unveiling her party's platform despite calls from other opposition groups to boycott the Jan. 8 vote.

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The defeat of Australia's outgoing prime minister John Howard appeared complete yesterday when his opponent claimed victory in the parliamentary seat he held for 33 years.

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Twenty-five years ago, Papuan tribal leader Ananias Muit was sent from his jungle home to Indonesia's Sumatra island by the local government to learn about lucrative palm oil and bring it back.

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NO MISUNDERSTANDING: Following unprecedented protests by ethnic Indians last week, Kuala Lumpur sent a strong message to India, telling it to mind its own business
Malaysia has told India not to meddle in its internal affairs after New Delhi expressed concerns over the treatment of ethnic Indians in Muslim-majority Malaysia.

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PUTIN POWER: More than 100 million are eligible to vote in today's elections, which are expected to hand a sweeping victory to President Putin's United Russia party
Some 450,000 police officers will be on duty across Russia today to ensure order as voters flock to the 95,000 polling stations set up across Russia's 11 time zones.

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Russian companies are heeding Kremlin calls for a high voter turnout in elections today, with offers of food discounts, prize draws on kitchen appliances and even text message reminders.

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"Le fish and chips" in a top French restaurant? Pourquoi pas?

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Iran was not to blame for the disappointment expressed by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana after key talks in London on the nuclear crisis, chief negotiator Saeed Jalili said yesterday.

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INSULTING ISLAM: The officials were in Khartoum to ask for the release of a jailed British woman, one day after protesting crowds of Sudanese called for her execution
Two Muslim members of Britain's House of Lords were in Khartoum yesterday to seek the release of 54-year-old Gillian Gibbons.

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BOMB LOOK-ALIKE: Police said a 46-year-old man took at least five hostages at a New Hampshire campaign office with what turned out to be road flares taped to his waist
A distraught man wearing what appeared to be a bomb walked into a Hillary Clinton campaign office and demanded to speak to the presidential candidate about access to mental health care. The hostage drama dragged on for nearly six hours until he peacefully surrendered.

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Cuba is expected to make moves today that will either pave the way for ailing President Fidel Castro's return to power or make way for him to leave the office for good.

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VOICE OF HOPE: An army raid on Friday turned up a series of videos and letters from kidnap victims that indicated they may still be alive after years in captivity
Families of dozens of hostages held in jungle hideouts by Colombia's leftist rebels said they hope new evidence the captives may be alive will pressure President Alvaro Uribe's government and the rebels to reach a deal ending their years of captivity.

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ON TAPE: A video of a state trooper using a stun gun was posted on YouTube and has drawn a heated debate over the use of the weapon
A Utah state trooper who used a Taser stun gun to subdue a stubborn motorist who was walking away from him during a traffic stop acted reasonably, state officials said.

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The US has formally filed a request for the extradition of a reputed drug cartel leader called the "Queen of the Pacific," a US official and the Mexican government said on Friday.

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A passenger train plowed into the back of a freight train and crushed one end of a boxcar under its wheels, injuring dozens of people, some seriously. Most of the 187 passengers walked away unhurt.

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■ AUSTRALIA

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