World's shortest man dies at age 21
 China's He Pingping, who was just over 29 inches tall, has died at the age of 21 from apparent heart complications, the Guinness World Records book said.
Thai protesters pour their blood on streets
 Thai protesters pour blood they had donated outside the front gate of the government headquarters in a symbolic sacrifice to press their demands for new elections.
Google appears to drop censorship in China
 Web sites dealing with subjects such as the Tiananmen Square protests could all be accessed through Google's Chinese search engine Tuesday in defiance of Beijing's censorship rules.
Afghan women fear loss of hard-won progress
 As Karzai's government considers negotiating with Taliban, retreat from hard-won progress is worry for Afghan women.
Clashes escalate in east Jerusalem
 Hundreds of Palestinians clash with Israeli riot police as anger rises over plans for more Jewish housing in predominantly Arab east Jerusalem.
Afghanistan denies talks with Taliban No. 2
 Afghanistan's government denied a report that it had been holding secret peace talks with the Taliban's number two leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, when he was arrested.
NATO to oversee most troops in Afghanistan
A major reorganization of allied forces in Afghanistan will centralize both American and other foreign troops under the direct command of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the senior U.S. and NATO commander in the theater.
Somali pirates free North Korean chemical tanker
Somali pirates freed a North Korean chemical tanker and its 28 crew Tuesday after the owners delivered a ransom, the European Union Naval Force said.
FBI: No evidence U.S. victims targeted
 The FBI says the slayings in Mexico of three people with ties to the U.S. consulate may have been committed by drug cartel hit men who targeted the wrong party.
Sex scandal embroils Catholic Church in Brazil
Brazilian authorities are investigating three priests accused of sexually abusing altar boys after a video allegedly showing one case of abuse was broadcast on television, police and church officials said Tuesday.
Shark protection defeated at U.N. meeting
 China, Japan and Russia help defeat a U.S.-endorsed proposal at a U.N. wildlife trade meeting that would have boosted conservation efforts for sharks.
Chile: Quake, tsunami left 700 dead
The earthquake and tsunami that struck Chile last month killed 700 people and caused damages of nearly $30 billion, according to the government. And the ground hasn't stopped shaking.
Haiti quake victims now face rape trauma
 Women and children as young as 2, already traumatized by the loss of homes and loved ones in the Jan. 12 quake, are now falling victim to rapists in the sprawling tent cities.
U.S., Israel to try to heal worst rift in years
 A dispute over new Jewish homes in a traditionally Arab part of Jerusalem quickly became a test of U.S. and Israeli commitment to peace talks and one another.
| 
