China quake death toll rises above 8,700
CHENGDU, China (AP) -- A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants Monday in central China, killing more than 8,700 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades....

Darfur rebel leader vows attrition war for Sudan
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) -- Darfur's most-wanted rebel leader vowed Monday to keep up his offensive against the Sudanese government, saying he can exhaust the military by fighting it all across Africa's largest nation....

Fighting in Tripoli, but Lebanon's capital is calm
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Fighting between pro- and anti-government factions jumped to Lebanon's north Monday, but a grim calm hung over the nearly empty streets of Beirut - a capital crippled by roadblocks, suspicion and fear....

Monks back on front lines to aid cyclone victims
KYI BUI KHAW, Myanmar (AP) -- The saffron-robed monks who spearheaded a bloody uprising last fall against Myanmar's military rulers are back on the front lines, this time providing food, shelter and spiritual solace to cyclone victims....

2008 turns out to be a year of trouble for China
BEIJING (AP) -- China hoped 2008 would be a yearlong celebration, a time to bask in the spotlight of the upcoming Beijing Olympics. Instead, the Year of the Rat has also brought a wave of troubles - both natural and man-made - that are putting a heavy strain on the communist leadership....

Putin: art should help strengthen state
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin unveiled an exhibit from the art collection of a renowned Russian cellist Monday, a ceremony that reflected his continuing political influence even after stepping down as president....

US begins aid flights to Myanmar cyclone victims
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- A U.S. plane ferried relief to Myanmar for the first time Monday to help nearly 2 million cyclone victims facing disease and starvation, but the U.N. chief criticized the military junta for its "unacceptably slow response."...

Israeli police widen probe into Olmert donations
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli police raided Jerusalem's City Hall on Monday, searching offices and confiscating documents as part of a widening corruption inquiry against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert....

Iraq: Sadr City cease-fire signed after weeks of fighting
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's main Shiite political bloc and supporters of firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr signed a fragile cease-fire in Baghdad's Sadr City on Monday, hoping to end seven weeks of fighting that has left hundreds dead....

Serbia begins postelection talks
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -- Serbia's nationalists brushed aside their pro-Western rivals' claim of victory in parliamentary elections and held talks Monday to see if they could muster support from other parties to form a government....