Esther Tran Le

Burma has sent out invitations to the US, EU, and ASEAN member countries to send observers to the upcoming April 1st elections.

According to Libya's Vice Premier, Mustafa Abushagur, and a government spokesman, Mauritanian has agreed to hand over Gaddafi's former intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Senussi to Libya.

The Syrian crisis has pushed the Chinese to engage internationally significantly more than it has in the past. Some remain skeptical as to China's interest in Syria, but the recently released 6-point statement shows a China attempting to strike a middle-ground.

The Japanese whale hunt did not go as well as predicted. Blaming activists and environmentalists, the Japanese Fisher Agency reports that the whaling fleet is on schedule back to Japan despite its minimal catch.

In a televised interview Tuesday night, the French president up for re-election Nicolas Sarkozy, claimed there were too many immigrants in France. He suggested a mass scaledown of foreign entries to jump-start the French integration system.

Egyptian MP, Anwar al-Bilkimy, of the ultra-conservative and religious al-Nour party violated party lines by not only undergoing plastic surgery for his nose but lying about it. Al-Bilkimy has submitted his resignation, which awaits parliamentary approval

Spanish court has agreed to the extradition of former Egyptian president's business partner and close associate, Hussein Salem.

Bishop Victoria Matthews announced that the 131-year-old Anglican cathedral, a landmark in Christchurch, New Zealand, will be demolished and make room for a new cathedral.

Despite agreeing to the new European Union fiscal stability pact, Spain has autonomously decided to defy the established deficit target. Spain will not reach the previously set deficit target of 4.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and instead opts for more flexibility, setting a new target of 5.8 percent of GDP.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy took refuge in Bar du Palais, a cafe in Bayonne, after Basque separatists and supporters of the Socialist party overwhelmed him in the streets.

China's engagement in resolving the euro zone debt crisis has been a topic of contention. High-profile Chinese leaders, such as Vice Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice President Xi Jinping, have reassured the European countries that China would invest in alleviating the debt. However, a financial plan has yet to be communicated.

The latest Hong Kong census reports that Mandarin has surpassed English as the second most spoken language in Hong Kong.

On Thursday, Rachida Dati, a staunch supporter of Nicolas Sarkozy and a former Minister of Justice, appeared alongside the incumbent French president at his second largest UMP campaign meeting in Lille. Whether she will play a large role in Sarkozy's presidential campaign for re-election remains debatable.

Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, will fly to Cuba this Friday in preparation for the surgery he will undergo next week. Chavez has a recurring growth in his pelvic region. He was operated on in the same area last year in June when he was diagnosed with cancer.

Prominent human rights activist, Zainab al-Khawaja, was released from detention on Tuesday. She was taken into custody about a week ago after attempting to approach the Pearl Roundabout in commemoration of last year's first uprisings against Bahrain's authoritarian regime.

After a month of protesting against local officials taking away their land, residents of Panhe village in Zhejiang province are being detained. These arrests have put a stop to the social unrest for now. However, land disputes remain a rampant issue in China -- one that seriously shakes the harmonious society.

Early Friday morning, two armed men with masks robbed a museum in Olympia. They stole priceless artifacts more than 3,000 years old depicting Olympic athletes. This was the second such robbery in Greece in just two months -- The National Gallery in Athens was robbed of paintings in January. As a result, Greece' Minister of Culture has submitted his resignation.

Renowned and respected, Anthony Shadid of the New York Times died on Thursday of an asthma attack in Syria. The entire journalism community mourns his death, remembering him for his accurate and moving stories on the Middle East and the peoples' suffering in the region.

Xi Jinping's visit to the United States is all the rage as Washington scurries to get a better impression of the presumed successor of President Hu Jintao. However, it would be premature to judge Xi's comfortable and amicable style as a sign of any weakness.

In the Year of the Dragon, China expects a 5 percent increase in births despite the country's strict one-child policy. This brings into question whether the one-child policy is still an effective population control tool. Or is the policy actually damaging Chinese society and economy?

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is up for re-election this year. He faces stiff competition from both the Socialist Party and the extreme right National Front. With France's economy in shambles, Sarkozy's re-election prospects look slimmer every day.

The International Monetary Fund and Vice President Joe Biden have both raised doubts about China's economic growth, although for different reasons.

Posters of Jean Dujardin and his costar Gilles Lellouche have been taken down from Paris billboards on Friday. The posters were deemed to be overtly sexual and sexist by France's Authority of Professional Regulation of Advertising (ARPP).

The two American women who were kidnapped on Friday morning were released by their Bedouin kidnappers several hours later.

The Maoist fighters who have been living in United Nations-monitored camps since 2007 are now leaving. They have the choice of accepting compensation to help them return to civilian life or of undergoing re-training to join the Nepali army.

Having filed for its initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, Facebook has the potential to debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with one of the largest IPOs ever. Check out this slideshow to see which were the largest IPOs in U.S. history.

The French aviation company, Dassault, defeated Eurofighter in India's $10.4 billion bid. Negotiations are now in the works for Dassault to sell 126 Rafale combat aircrafts to the Indian Air Force.

On Wednesday, 25 Chinese workers were released from 15 hours of captivity in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. They were kidnapped just yesterday by Bedouin tribesmen, who were demanding the freedom of five relatives. The Chinese workers were returned to their hotel unharmed.

Last week, U.S. Special Operations Forces went in to rescue the two hostages from their Somali kidnappers on orders from President Barack Obama.