'PLEASE HELP US': Despite his claims to being a simple monk, the Tibetan leader's importance as a symbol of peaceful protests was once again underlined last week
When the Dalai Lama sat down on Saturday with Richard Gere and Robert Thurman, father of actor Uma and US professor of Buddhism, it was supposed to be for a few hours contemplating sacred art and silent meditation.

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LOUD BUT PEACEFUL: Organizers said rain kept numbers low at a protest asking for a 'fundamental change' after recent cases involving rape and robbery
Several thousand Okinawans angry over recent reports of crimes allegedly committed by US troops held a loud but peaceful protest yesterday, with many demanding the troops be withdrawn from the island altogether.

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Authorities in Japan have asked the US military for permission to question a US sailor about the killing of a taxi driver, officials said yesterday.

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After giving a tour of his museum of souvenirs from a checkered career in politics and the movies, ousted Philippine president Joseph Estrada headed outside for a dramatic finale: the marble tomb where he plans to be laid to rest.

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Malaysia is considering making it illegal for lawmakers to switch sides amid reports the opposition was trying to lure ruling party defectors in an attempt to unseat the government, a minister said.

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INTO THE VOID: After stowing away a thick rod that is used to check for damage, the seven-man crew aboard the `Endeavour' was scheduled to head back to Earth this week
Two astronauts from the US space shuttle Endeavour successfully completed a fifth and final spacewalk of their mission late on Saturday, stepping into the void to attach a 15m sensory boom to the outside of the International Space Station (ISS).

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CELEBRATIONS AND SKIRMISHES: Kurdish people gathered to celebrate the Noruz festival and chanted slogans in support of the PKK party before riot police intervened
Hundreds of Kurdish protesters armed with stones battled police for a fourth day in southeastern Turkey yesterday, authorities and news reports said.

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Sitting in his office beneath a portrait of himself, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe cut a lonely, pitiful figure in his first in-depth interview in nearly 30 years, moved to tears at the memory of his lamented friendship with Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Moments later, however, his eyes sparked with anger, betraying his vengeful nature.

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The government of Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has won a confidence vote in parliament that finally clears the way for his term of office to start after a nine-month political crisis.

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It was one of the pillars on which the state of Israel was founded, encouraging successive waves of immigration, raising funds and acting as a powerful advocate for international Zionism.

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BORDERLINE: Relatives of a missing Ecuadoran were traveling to Colombia to see if their son was one of those killed in a cross-border raid on rebels earlier this month
Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa on Saturday threatened to launch a new diplomatic offensive against Colombia if DNA tests confirm that Colombia's military killed an Ecuadoran citizen during its raid on a rebel camp in Ecuador's jungle.

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Hundreds of demonstrators from member countries of NATO laid siege to the alliance's headquarters on the outskirts of Brussels on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war.

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A barrage of mortar fire slammed into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone at dawn yesterday, followed by a fresh attack four hours later, officials and witnesses said.

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Just days after her release on parole, a former 1970s radical was headed back to prison to serve at least one more year after corrections officials said a miscalculation resulted in her early release.

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The 600 skeletons are packed into fruit cartons and stacked on shelves in the walk-in closet of a forensic lab, in the dim glow of a single bare light bulb. They are "Skeleton No. 4" or "Skeleton No. 21," and nothing more.

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'THE LIMBAUGH EFFECT': Right-wing radio hosts help Hillary fight on as part of a strategy to keep the Democrats divided in the US presidential elections
Some pundits are calling them the HillPublicans. They are hardcore Republicans who are going against their previous political beliefs and voting for Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Hillary Clinton.

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