APPEAL FOR PEACE: President Musharraf called for harmony during the Shiite festival as police questioned suspects who allegedly plotted to bomb worshipers
Pakistan was on high alert yesterday as Shiites prepared to observe the Muslim festival of Ashura, a day after security officials said they had foiled plots aimed at causing massive loss of life.

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Malaysian police are investigating supporters of Indian rights group Hindraf for allegedly misusing several hundred thousand dollars in donation funds, a report said on Saturday.

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Cambodian police blocked American actress Mia Farrow from holding a genocide memorial ceremony at a Khmer Rouge prison yesterday, at one point forcefully pushing her group away from a barricade.

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Sri Lanka will hold large-scale civilian and military independence day celebrations in the capital next month despite fears of Tamil rebel attacks, officials said yesterday.

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FIGHTING: US and Afghan troops killed or wounded more than two dozen Taliban fighters during a 21-hour battle in eastern Afghanistan that began at noon on Friday
The US has rejected a request by Japan that it verify Tokyo's contribution to the US-led "war on terror" in Afghanistan is not used for military operations in Iraq, a report said yesterday.

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LEAVING HOME: In the sleepy seaside city of Dili, it is easy to find scores of Oecussi youth sleeping by the national police headquarters at night
Fifteen-year-old Dominggos Obe hawks colorful shaved ices from a three-wheeled cart in East Timor's capital, one of a stream of youths arriving here from his poor hometown seeking a better life.

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ASIAN TOUR: British officials in the Indian capital said there would be discussions of counter-terrorism, Pakistan, Nepal and military-run Myanmar
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday headed from China to India, hoping for movement from New Delhi on tackling climate change while also building on trade and investment links.

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Malaysia plans to send home at least 200,000 foreign workers by next year in an effort to increase job opportunities for locals, a senior government official said yesterday.

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Pope Benedict XVI praised the courage of a Roman Catholic priest slain by suspected al-Qaeda-linked extremists on a remote southern island, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said on Saturday.

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SEEKING REFUGE: Police confirmed they were guarding a monastery in the Rift Valley where hundreds of people had fled to escape the ongoing violence across the country
Kenya's opposition party, determined to bring down the government of President Mwai Kibaki, called for another day of "peaceful rallies" across the country in defiance of a ban and despite the deaths of more than 20 people in last week's demonstrations.

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BETTER OFF WITH OIL? : Producing some biofuels could emit more gases than fossil fuels, some critics warn, and lead to the demise of rainforests to make room for crops
Controversial plans to make cars greener by using fuel made from crops and animal fat will be thrown into doubt this week when British members of parliament are expected to question whether they will do more harm than good.

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Polls opened yesterday in Serbia's key presidential elections seen as crucial for the future of this Balkan state vis-a-vis the EU and as its breakaway province of Kosovo plans to declare independence.

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ON BOARD: Among the dead are two Portuguese nationals and Valentin Anoes, who was a senior member of the ruling party, his nephew said
Between 13 and 25 people died in a plane crash in the mountains near Huambo, Angola, on Saturday, conflicting reports said.

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Israeli soldiers captured four Hamas militants after a gunfight in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the Israeli army and Hamas' armed wing said.

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PRESSURE FROM BELOW: After the US complained about being included with Iran and China as countries that may use torture, Ottawa said it would to rewrite the list
Under pressure from its closest ally, Canada's foreign ministry said on Saturday that it will rewrite a training manual used by Canadian diplomats that lists the US as a site of possible torture.

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Cuban President Fidel Castro hasn't been seen in public for nearly 18 months and says he is too sick to campaign. But that still hasn't stopped the 81-year-old from standing for re-election in parliamentary elections yesterday.

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TOUR DE FRANCE: The Colombian president said the trio should support efforts by the Roman Catholic church to free hostages held by rebels
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will hold talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy today after inviting France, Spain and Switzerland to resume their mediation role in an effort to free 44 hostages held by Marxist rebels, his office said.

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In the depths of a strangely cold winter in the Middle East, Iraqis complain that the lights are not on, the kerosene heaters are without fuel and the water doesn't flow -- and they blame the government.

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The allegations could bring down the mayor of this South Texas town: A faked death, an attempt to hide the evidence from police, a cover-up story.

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