AFP - World motorsport chief Max Mosley was awaiting a ruling Thursday in his privacy case against a newspaper which alleged he took part in a Nazi-themed sadomasochistic session with prostitutes.
AP - Concrete pilings designed to prevent an invasion no longer dot this tiny Taiwanese islet's shoreline. A formidable marine garrison also has vanished, replaced by laid-back coast guardsmen and marine biologists. -- read full article
AP - A proposed new constitution grants Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa broad powers including the ability to dissolve Congress and set monetary policy, and would let him stay in office through 2017.
AP - Asia-Pacific powers on Thursday announced an ambitious plan to pool their military and civilian resources for disaster responses in a region beset by cyclones, earthquakes and floods.
AFP - A strong earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale shook northern Japan early Thursday, injuring more than a dozen people as the force shattered windows and set off fires, officials said.
Reuters - OPEC member Libya should withdraw
deposits in Swiss banks if the Swiss government fails to
apologize for the arrest of a son of Muammar Gaddafi, an
influential Libyan political group said on Wednesday. -- read full article
AP - Argentina's state news agency said the president's top aide has resigned following the Senate's rejection of a government-backed export tax hike. -- read full article
AP - Iraq's presidential council rejected a draft law paving the way for U.S.-backed provincial elections, returning it to parliament for reworking, an official said Wednesday.
AP - Cycling's image is in tatters, and authorities inside and outside the sport are being tougher than ever on doping. Yet it hasn't stopped the drug cheaters at the Tour de France.
AP - Radovan Karadzic's secret life included a mistress, a bogus family he claimed he left behind in the U.S., and frequent visits to a Belgrade pub called "The Madhouse," acquaintances said Wednesday.
AP - Beijing will set up specially designated zones for protesters during next month's Olympics, a security official said Wednesday, in a sign China's authoritarian government may allow some demonstrations during the games.
AP - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama defended his proposal to negotiate with Iran Wednesday and said he would use "big sticks and big carrots" to persuade the country's leaders not to develop nuclear weapons.
