France mulls early Afghanistan pullout as 4 killed (AP)

France mulls early Afghanistan pullout as 4 killed (AP)
Book author: Kim Jong Il's eldest son wants reform (AP)
France threatens Afghan pullout after troops killed (Reuters)
Kazakhstan's PM vows political liberalization (AP)
Cargo ship damaged after collision off Istanbul (AP)
Six U.S. Marines killed in Afghan helicopter crash (Reuters)
Turkey investigating extrajudicial killings (AP)
North Korea credits new leader with nuke testing (AP)
Ship sinking after collision in Bosphorus: agent (Reuters)
US has new confidence in peace talks with Taliban (AP)
Maldives vice president joins calls to free judge (AP)
Malaysia prosecutors appeal Anwar's acquittal (AP)
Japan cult member charged after years on run (AP)
3 shark attacks in Australia in less than 3 weeks (AP)
South Korea allows aid group to visit North Korea (AP)
Report: Myanmar stops snake smuggling attempt (AP)
Myanmar president says no turning back on reforms (AP)
India lit fest says Rushdie cancels due to threats (AP)
(AP)
Monkey long believed extinct found in Indonesia (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 08:22 AM PST

AP - France suspended its training operations in Afghanistan and threatened to withdraw its entire force from the country early after an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French troops Friday and wounded 15 others.

Book author: Kim Jong Il's eldest son wants reform (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 08:08 AM PST

AP - The author of a new book on North Korea says late leader Kim Jong Il's eldest son believes the country now run by his young half brother could fail without economic reforms.

France threatens Afghan pullout after troops killed (Reuters)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 09:48 AM PST

Reuters - France threatened on Friday to pull out early from the NATO-led war in Afghanistan after a rogue Afghan soldier opened fire on French soldiers, killing four and wounding about 15 others.

Kazakhstan's PM vows political liberalization (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 07:48 AM PST

AP - Kazakhstan's long-serving prime minister said Friday that his Central Asian country will move gradually toward greater political liberalization and downplayed international criticism of this week's parliamentary election.

Cargo ship damaged after collision off Istanbul (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 08:54 AM PST

AP - A cargo ship brushed against two anchored vessels during severe weather off the coast of Istanbul on Friday and tilted to one side, taking on water for hours before authorities were forced to pull it ashore using a tug boat.

Six U.S. Marines killed in Afghan helicopter crash (Reuters)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 07:37 AM PST

Reuters - Six U.S. Marines were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, a U.S. official said, but NATO said Taliban fighters were not active in the area at the time.

Turkey investigating extrajudicial killings (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 08:47 AM PST

AP - Authorities have exhumed the bodies of three Kurds as part of their investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings by Turkish security forces in the 1990s.

North Korea credits new leader with nuke testing (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 06:39 AM PST

AP - North Korea on Friday credited new leader Kim Jong Un with spearheading past nuclear testing, as it adds to a growing personality cult that portrays the young son of late leader Kim Jong Il as a confident military commander.

Ship sinking after collision in Bosphorus: agent (Reuters)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 06:33 AM PST

Reuters - Thirteen crew members of a cargo ship involved in a collision in Turkey's Bosphorus strait, one of the world's busiest waterways, were evacuated on Friday as the vessel was in danger of sinking, shipping agency GAC said.

US has new confidence in peace talks with Taliban (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 06:30 AM PST

AP - The Obama administration is expressing new confidence that talks with the Taliban next week offer the best chance yet to end the 10-year-old war in Afghanistan, despite warnings from the intelligence community that the Taliban is more interested in continuing fighting than making peace.

Maldives vice president joins calls to free judge (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 05:16 AM PST

AP - The Maldives' vice president joined calls Friday for the release of a detained senior judge, in a sign of divisions within the government of President Mohamed Nasheed.

Malaysia prosecutors appeal Anwar's acquittal (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:48 AM PST

AP - Malaysian prosecutors Friday filed an appeal to challenge the acquittal of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on sodomy charges earlier this month, prolonging a court battle that cast a shadow over his political future.

Japan cult member charged after years on run (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:37 AM PST

AP - A senior member of the doomsday cult behind the 1995 nerve gas attack on Tokyo subways has been charged in a kidnapping case, one of dozens of cult-related crimes in the 1990s.

3 shark attacks in Australia in less than 3 weeks (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:18 AM PST

AP - A snorkeling guide was attacked by a 10-foot (3-meter) tiger shark off a remote beach in Australia's third attack this month. That's as many attacks as the country generally sees in an entire year.

South Korea allows aid group to visit North Korea (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 03:13 AM PST

AP - South Korea says it is allowing a group of civilians to visit North Korea with a shipment of aid.

Report: Myanmar stops snake smuggling attempt (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 01:56 AM PST

AP - Forestry officials in central Myanmar have seized nearly 10,000 snakes in 400 crates that were to be smuggled to China.

Myanmar president says no turning back on reforms (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 01:42 AM PST

AP - Myanmar's president has told a U.S. newspaper that his country's democratic reforms are irreversible, as he urged the West to lift sanctions. He even dangled the possibility of giving opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi a Cabinet post.

India lit fest says Rushdie cancels due to threats (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 01:23 AM PST

AP - Booker-Prize winning author Salman Rushdie canceled plans to appear at an Indian literature festival Friday after protests from Muslim clerics and warnings that he could be targeted for assassination.

(AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:30 AM PST

AP - NATO says 4 coalition troops killed by Afghan soldier in eastern Afghanistan.

Monkey long believed extinct found in Indonesia (AP)

Posted: 20 Jan 2012 12:03 AM PST

AP - Scientists working in the dense jungles of Indonesia have "rediscovered" a large, gray monkey so rare it was believed by many to be extinct.