Thailand won't split: Yingluck

Thailand is an inseparable nation, and the caretaker government does not support dividing it, acting Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Monday.

Political climate unchanged

Although anti-government protesters in Thailand have retreated to a central Bangkok park, freeing up traffic after blocking big intersections for more than a month, Thailand's four-month political crisis looks no closer to a solution.

Nigerian militants kill 90 in attacks

At least 90 people were killed in attacks blamed on Boko Haram militants this weekend, taking the overall death toll this year beyond 300, with no apparent end in sight to the carnage.

Turkish PM makes plea to exiled bitter foe linked to corruption probe

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a onetime ally who has become a bitter foe, to stop meddling in national politics.

'Bloodcurdling' screams heard in Pistorius' home

South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius pleaded not guilty on Monday to killing his girlfriend as his trial opened with a witness testifying she heard "bloodcurdling" screams on the night the woman died.

Russian troops 'defending citizens'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov justified on Monday the use of Russian troops in Ukraine's Crimea region as a necessary protection for his country's citizens living there.

UN Secretary-General urges moscow to restore calm in Ukraine crisis

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Russia on Monday to avoid actions that might worsen the situation in crisis-hit Ukraine.

Saudi women demand end to 'absolute' male control

Saudi women activists have petitioned the country's consultative council to back a demand to curb the "absolute authority" of male guardians over women in the ultra conservative Sunni Muslim kingdom, according to a signatory.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Rio drops protests for Carnival

More than a million Rio Carnival revelers laid aside bitterness toward Brazil's leaders to join wild festivities on Saturday in what has been dubbed "the greatest show on Earth."

Researchers in Japan developing 'ear computers'

A tiny personal computer that is worn on the ear and can be controlled with the blink of an eye or the click of a tongue is being tested in Japan.

Phone call puts Obama, Putin in confrontation

US President Barack Obama told President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that Russia was flouting international law and risking political isolation by its military incursion into Ukraine's Crimea region, as international condemnation increased.