The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a funeral procession that killed at least 37 people in northwest Pakistan.

Japan has named Takeaki Matsumoto as the new Foreign Minister, after his predecessor quit at the weekend over a political donations scandal.

At least 20 people were killed and 75 others injured after a car bomb exploded at a gas station in the Pakistani city of Faisalabad on March 8.

“Women have struggled throughout history for greater liberty and freedom of choice. We take this opportunity to reiterate our commitment to promoting women’s rights and gender equality,” said Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

UN atomic watchdog chief Yukiya Amano urged North Korea Monday to allow its inspectors back into its nuclear facilities.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and other senior leaders on Monday urged the nation to prepare for hardships and risks in the future and push forward reform and opening up.

A popular referendum over the constitutional amendments has been decided on March 19, Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said on Friday.

London's first set of giant Olympic Rings was unveiled at St Pancras International station on Thursday, with 512 days to go to the opening of the 2012 Olympic Games.

ASEAN and the European Union on March 1 marked the start of a new phase in the ASEAN-EU economic cooperation with a seminar held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Laos approved a construction project in preparation for hosting the 9 th Asia - Europe Meeting (ASEM), scheduled to occur in Nov. 2012.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced Tuesday that its Glory satellite is scheduled for launch on Friday, March 4.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a diplomatic initiative that will seek an interim agreement with the Palestinians rather than one that resolves all core issues, an Israeli government official said on March 1. 

The UN has called for a mass humanitarian evacuation of people fleeing Libya for Tunisia, saying the border situation is at "crisis point".

The Professional Windsurfing Association (PWA) Grand Slam officially opened in Phan Thiet City, southern Binh Thuan province on February 27.

Sunday's show, hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco who were chosen in hopes of injecting some youth into the proceedings, scored an 11.7 rating in the ever-desirable 18- to 49-year-old adults, down 12 percent from last year's 13.3, preliminary numbers collected from some markets showed.