Gandhi ready to serve as Indian PM candidate

India's Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that he was open to leading the ruling Congress Party into elections this year in his strongest hint yet that he is ready to be named as a prime ministerial candidate.

Park urges Japan to acknowledge history

South Korean President Park Geun-hye publicly urged the Japanese Cabinet to show that it understands history correctly and to honor apologies made by former Japanese leaders for the country's World War II misdeeds.

Turkey's political civil war could weaken Erdogan

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan looks to have the upper hand in a civil war rocking the country's political establishment, but his bid to break the influence of a potent Islamic cleric could roll back reforms and undermine hard-won business confidence.

UK moves away from Chinese telecom equipment

Accusations about "information security" directed toward Chinese communication equipment should based on facts or investigative results rather than concerns raised by possible "vulnerabilities", observers said on Tuesday after British ministries dumped Chinese products.

S. China Sea rules no threat to peace, experts say

China's amendments to its fishing rules aim to enhance management of its administrative waters in the South China Sea, and will not hamper freedom of navigation or regional security, observers said.

Reports of Iran oil talks raise concerns

The White House said on Monday it was concerned about a recent report that Iran and Russia are negotiating an oil-for-goods swap worth $1.5 billion a month, a deal a spokeswoman said could trigger US sanctions.

Egyptians vote on new constitution

Egyptians were voting on a new constitution on Tuesday amid high security in a referendum likely to prompt a presidential bid by the army chief who overthrew Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.

Thai protesters blockade ministries, government

Protesters trying to topple Thailand's government moved to tighten their blockade around ministries on Tuesday and a hard-line faction threatened to storm the stock exchange, while major intersections in the capital Bangkok remained blocked.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Glories spread around at 71st Golden Globes

Bumper crop of high-quality films makes Oscars anything but obvious

Australia braces for another wave of record heat

Just a week after declaring that 2013 was Australia's hottest year ever, local officials are warning this sunburned nation to brace for even worse weather, with a tsunami of heat expected to wash over almost all of Australia by Wednesday, leaving further devastation in its wake.

Swedish doctors transplant wombs in 9 women

Nine women in Sweden have successfully received transplanted wombs donated from relatives and will soon try to become pregnant, the doctor in charge of the pioneering project has revealed.