Synchronized swimmers and singing soldiers marked the birthday yesterday of the man dubbed North Korea's "outstanding thinker" by state media, but mystery still surrounded who the leader may choose as a successor.

[ FULL STORY ]

INSURGENTS: Two police stations were targeted in the attack staged by 200 rebels in Orissa, one of India's poorest states. Only one victim was a civilian
Maoist rebels in eastern India have shot dead 13 police and a civilian in the worst attack by the leftist insurgents in months, officials said yesterday.

[ FULL STORY ]

A South Korean firm is offering to clone pet dogs in cooperation with the scientists who created the world's first cloned canine, the company said on Friday.

[ FULL STORY ]

FLOWER POWER: Around 300 people gathered for the protest, although it was held without a permit. They had intended to present flowers to the prime minister
Malaysian police yesterday fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse ethnic Indians clutching flowers and gathered in the capital, in the latest crackdown on public protests, witnesses said.

[ FULL STORY ]

China's top climate envoy warned that negotiations on a new treaty to fight global warming will fail if rich nations aren't treated as "the culprits" and developing countries as "the victims."

[ FULL STORY ]

ON THE RUN: The rebels are blamed for two separate attacks on Monday that injured President Jose Ramos-Horta but left Prime Minister Zanana Gusmao unhurt
East Timor's army joined the hunt for rebels blamed for attacks against the country's top two leaders, the army chief said yesterday.

[ FULL STORY ]

As a raging civil war killed thousands in the country's northeast, Sri Lankans in Colombo and other southern cities shopped, held picnics and cheered their children at soccer matches.

[ FULL STORY ]

Vietnamese political activists spanning the generations yesterday bade farewell to onetime senior Communist Party member turned dissident Hoang Minh Chinh, who died in his late 80s earlier this month.

[ FULL STORY ]

'GRIM AND MISERABLE': The UN says the measure has driven up poverty and unemployment, with about 80 percent of Gaza's 1.4 million people receiving food aid
The eight-month closure of Gaza has created "grim and miserable" conditions that deprive Gazans of their basic dignity, the UN's top humanitarian affairs official said during a visit, urging that the territory's borders be reopened.

[ FULL STORY ]

Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan hopes Kenya's bitterly divided leaders will sign a deal this week after taking the "last difficult and frightening step" toward a power-sharing government.

[ FULL STORY ]

CONDEMNATION: The UN secretary-general ordered a UN peacekeeping force to relocate to Ethiopia, but so far Eritrea has only allowed six UN vehicles to leave
The UN Security Council has strongly condemned Eritrea's lack of cooperation with the UN peacekeeping mission monitoring the border with Ethiopia and demanded that it resume providing diesel fuel and food and allow troops to move freely.

[ FULL STORY ]

Czech President Vaclav Klaus was re-elected on Friday, beating off a strong challenge from main opponent Jan Svejnar and ending a tortuous process that had been prolonged by several weeks.

[ FULL STORY ]

For 400 years, Canada sold most of its wild animal pelts to Europe, but now Russia and China have become its biggest markets as their booming economies breed a wealth of fur fashionistas.

[ FULL STORY ]

LISTENING IN: The US president seethed over the fact that the House, rather than passing the bill, approved contempt citations against two Bush confidants
US President George W. Bush scolded Congress for allowing a government eavesdropping law to expire at midnight yesterday, saying the failure to act will make it more difficult to track terrorists and that "we may lose a vital lead that could prevent an attack on America."

[ FULL STORY ]

PRIMARY PRESSURE: Senator Clinton declared herself the 'candidate of, from and for the middle class of America' as she discussed economic issues
Hillary Clinton declared herself the candidate of middle class Americans as she struggled to hold off a hard-charging Barack Obama in upcoming Democratic contests in the industrial heartland that could determine the fate of her presidential campaign.

[ FULL STORY ]

SOMETHING'S AFOOT: There is not enough information to determine if the owners of the feet are still alive, suffered foul play or lost their feet because of natural causes
A police major crime investigation is underway after three human right feet, each shod in a sneaker, arrived on beaches on western Canadian islands.

[ FULL STORY ]

The gunman who shot dead five people at a university was on Friday identified as an "outstanding" graduate student with no history of trouble but signs of erratic behavior in the last two weeks.

[ FULL STORY ]

The US National Academy of Engineering has announced the grand challenges for engineering in the 21st century that, if met, would improve people's lives.

[ FULL STORY ]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Friday he spoke with French President Nicolas Sarkozy about the Colombian hostage crisis and it was agreed French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner would visit Caracas for more consultations.

[ FULL STORY ]

■ SOUTH KOREA

[ FULL STORY ]