East Timor
LAGA — Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta of East Timor told a cheering crowd in his hometown Sunday that he will run in April's presidential elections, vowing to help return peace and stability to the troubled nation.
Egypt
CAIRO — An Egyptian cleric allegedly kidnapped off the streets of Italy by CIA agents in 2003 claimed Sunday that the Americans who abducted him "savagely" tortured him while deporting him to Egypt for interrogation.
France
PARIS — Heinz Berggruen, an influential collector of Picasso's artworks and longtime friend of the artist, has died in France, the Picasso Museum in Paris said Sunday. He was 93.
Guinea
CONAKRY — Guinea's powerful union chiefs called off a crippling strike Sunday after the president agreed to appoint a new prime minister in an attempt to end simmering unrest that has killed scores of people this year.
India
GAUHATI — Security forces searched the heavily forested mountain areas of northeastern India's troubled Manipur state Sunday, a day after 16 policemen were killed in a rebel ambush, an official said.
Indonesia
JAKARTA — A charred Indonesian ferry sank Sunday while investigators and journalists were on board inspecting the damage from a fire last week.
Iran
PARIS, France — Iran has pardoned and released a French tourist convicted of taking photos of ships in the Persian Gulf, the French Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
TEHRAN — Iran said Sunday it successfully tested a rocket that went into space, apparently part of its drive to launch five satellites into orbit by 2010.
Iraq
BAGHDAD — The Oil Ministry cast doubt Sunday on statements indicating the Kurds had agreed to support a draft oil law that would divide revenues among all Iraqi factions and meet a key U.S. benchmark in Iraq.
Jordan
AMMAN — Saddam Hussein's former chief lawyer said Sunday he plans to publish a book in the coming year disclosing secret information about the executed Iraqi leader.
Kenya
NAIROBI — Pirates hijacked a cargo ship delivering U.N. food aid to northeastern Somalia on Sunday — at least the third time since 2005 that a vessel contracted to the United Nations has been hijacked off the country's dangerous coast.
Mozambique
VILANCULOS — A huge cleanup operation was under way Saturday in some of Mozambique's most popular resorts as the southern African nation's fledgling tourist industry struggled to recover from a devastating cyclone that left tens of thousands homeless.
Senegal
DAKAR — The president of one of Africa's most stable democracies sought another five-year term Sunday, jostling with 14 contenders in a race that may hinge on the votes of young people hungry for jobs.
Spain
MADRID — Spain plans to impose stricter rules on production of a staple of the national diet and increasingly popular export — ham from free-range pigs that feed on acorns and herbs — in order to weed out stable-bound impostors, a newspaper said Sunday.
United Arab Emirates
DUBAI — Vice President Dick Cheney landed in the U.S.-allied Arab monarchy of Oman on Sunday and went directly to talks with its foreign minister, Omani government officials said.
Venezuela
CARACAS — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Saturday that he saw President Bush's upcoming tour to Latin America as a diplomatic offensive aimed at isolating his leftist government.