ASIA:
NKOREA-JAILED AMERICAN
SEATTLE — The family of an American missionary held more than a year in North Korea was heartbroken and encouraged by a brief news conference in which Kenneth Bae, wearing a gray cap and inmate's uniform with the number 103 on his chest, apologized and said he had committed anti-government acts. "My brother is not a number to me, or to the rest of his family," his sister Terri Chung said in a statement. "He is a kind and loving husband, father, son and brother — and needs to be home immediately." By Doug Esser. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
INDONESIA-TERROR ARREST
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian police arrest two suspected Islamist extremists who they allege were poised to launch a bomb attack on officers. The arrests late Monday in the east Javanese city of Surabaya, highlight the continued threat posed by extremists in Indonesia despite a sustained crackdown by authorities. SENT: 200 words.
JAPAN-NUCLEAR ELECTION
TOKYO — The surprise entry of a former prime minister-turned-potter in the Tokyo governor's race, backed by another former prime minister, hugely popular Junichiro Koizumi, could turn the election into a virtual national referendum on the future of nuclear power in post-Fukushima Japan. Morihiro Hosokawa and Koizumi are both known for their anti-nuclear views. The outcome could affect a national energy policy that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pro-nuclear government is trying to finalize. By Mari Yamaguchi. UPCOMING: 600 words by 0800GMT, photos.
CHINA-CITIZEN'S MOVEMENT
BEIJING— Trials this week against members of nascent citizens groups aimed at holding public officials to account and advocating for the underpriviledged underline new leader Xi Jinping's fervent campaign to suppress any challenge to China's one-party rule. The cases reflect the Xi administration's determination to nip the buds of any social forces that might gain momentum outside the Communist Party even if their goals overlap with the party's stated drive to root out corruption and restore its connection with ordinary folks. By Didi Tang. UPCOMING: 700 words by 0800GMT, photos.
INDIA-COMMON MAN PARTY
NEW DELHI — For a decade, Arvind Kejriwal has led protests and sit-ins. He has held hunger strikes and rallies. Now he is the top official of the Indian capital, an activist suddenly elevated into power. And barely 10 days into his rule, he has launched yet another protest, this time against the central government over control of the city's police force. Kejriwal, whose party saw its fortunes lifted with New Delhi's December elections on a wave of populist promises and anti-government rhetoric, is now looking toward upcoming national elections as he tries to parlay his humble beginnings onto a national stage. By Nirmala George and Tim Sullivan. UPCOMING: 800 words by 1000GMT, photos, video.
INDONESIA-EMBASSY PLOT
JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian court sentences an Islamist militant to seven and half years in prison for masterminding a plot to attack the Myanmar Embassy in the Indonesian capital. Judge Haryono, who presided over the trial Tuesday at the South Jakarta District Court, said the defendant, Sigit Indrajit, was guilty of violating the anti-terror law. SENT: 130 words.
AUSTRALIA-EGYPT-JOURNALISTS DETAINED.
CANBERRA, Australia — The parents of an Australian journalist held in a Cairo prison have called on Egyptian authorities to release him, saying accusations against him as preposterous. Al-Jazeera English says Australian correspondent Peter Greste, Egyptian-Canadian acting bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy and Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed were only doing their jobs before they were taken into custody last month accused of broadcasting false news that harmed national security. SENT: 120 words.
CAMBODIA-PROTESTS
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Police in Cambodia detained 11 activists Tuesday who were trying to hand over a petition to foreign embassies urging them to help free two dozen anti-government protesters arrested during a brutal crackdown this month. Chan Saveth, an official from local human rights group Adhoc, said the activists were trying to deliver the petition to four embassies, including those of the United States and France. SENT: 200 words, photos.
VIETNAM-BIRD FLU
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam has confirmed its first human death from bird flu in nine months. To Duc Sinh, director of Preventive Medicine Center in southern Binh Phuoc province, said Tuesday that a 52-year-old man died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu on Jan. 18 on the way to a hospital in southern hub of Ho Chi Minh City. SENT, 150 words.
US & INTERNATIONAL
SYRIA-PEACE TALKS
GENEVA — A last-minute U.N. invitation for Iran to join this week's Syria peace talks throws the long-awaited Geneva conference into doubt, forcing U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to rescind his offer after the opposition threatened to boycott. With the invitation withdrawn, the main Western-backed Syrian opposition group says it will attend the talks, which it says should aim to establish a transitional government with full executive powers "in which killers and criminals do not participate." By Zeina Karam and Ryan Lucas. SENT: 1,000 words, photos. UPCOMING: 950 words with new approach by 4 p.m.
— SYRIA-TIMELINE — A look at key events in Syria since the beginning of the revolt against Bashar Assad. SENT: 640 words, photo.
IRAN-NUCLEAR
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran unplugs banks of centrifuges involved in its most sensitive uranium enrichment work, prompting the U.S. and the EU to partially lift economic sanctions and putting into effect a landmark deal aimed at easing concerns over Iran's nuclear program. The steps start a six-month clock for Tehran and the world powers to negotiate a final accord. By Ali Akbar Dareini and John-Thor Dahlburg. SENT: 890 words, photos.
— IRAN-NUCLEAR-GLANCE — A look at the six-month nuclear deal with world powers that Iran has begun implementing. SENT: 280 words, photo.
MARTIN LUTHER KING-HOLIDAY
ATLANTA (AP) — Hundreds of people filled Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta remember and reflect on the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., one of many events across the nation to honor the slain civil rights leader. By Phillip Lucas. SENT: 920 words, photos, video.
NSA SURVEILLANCE-SNOWDEN TRIAL
WASHINGTON — Should Edward Snowden ever return to the U.S., he would face criminal charges for leaking information about National Security Agency surveillance programs. But legal experts say a trial could expose more classified information as his lawyers try to build a case in an open court that the operations he exposed were illegal. A jury trial could be awkward for the Obama administration if the jurors believe Snowden is a whistle-blower who exposed government overreach. By Kimberly Dozier. SENT, photos.
SUPREME COURT-CHILD PORN
WASHINGTON — A woman whose childhood rapes by her uncle were captured on camera and widely traded on the Internet wants the Supreme Court to make it easier for victims of child pornography to collect money from people who view the brutal images on their computers. The case being argued at the Supreme Court on Wednesday involves a Texas man who pleaded guilty to having images of children engaged in sex acts on his computer. By Mark Sherman. SENT: 890 words.
SOCHI'S DARK SIDE
SOCHI, Russia — A shining new $635 million highway on the outskirts of Sochi stands next to a crumbling apartment block with a red "SOS!" banner on its roof. The residents have lived for years with no running water or sewage system. Construction for the 2014 Winter Games has made their lives more miserable: The new highway has cut them off from the city center. The slum is one of the many facets of a hidden dark side in the host city of next month's Winter Olympics, which stands side-by-side with the glittering new construction projects that President Vladimir Putin is touting as a symbol of Russia's transformation from a dysfunctional Soviet leviathan to a successful, modern society. By Nataliya Vasilyeva. SENT: 1,270 words, photos.
IRAQ
BAGHDAD — A top Iraqi official warns that militants controlling Fallujah are so well-armed that they could occupy the country's capital, a frank and bleak assessment of the challenge posed in routing the insurgents as a new wave of deadly bomb attacks erupts in the country's heartland. By Sameer N. Yacoub and Adam Schreck. SENT: 980 words, photos.
SOUTH SUDAN
BOR, South Sudan — Bor is a ghost town. Every shop is looted and empty. Bodies lie on the ground, and English-language graffiti curses the ethnic group of President Salva Kiir, a sign of the ethnic tensions here. South Sudan's military retook Bor from rebels over the weekend, as more cities fall back under government control like dominoes. By Ilya Gridneff. SENT: 800 words, photos.
VATICAN-POPE'S KOSHER KITCHEN
VATICAN CITY— For just one day, the kitchen of the Vatican hotel where Pope Francis lives went kosher, with a rabbi overseeing the scrupulous cleaning of countertops, boiling of utensils and heating of the oven necessary to render it fit for cooking under Jewish dietary laws. The occasion? A four-course luncheon Francis hosted last week for a dozen Argentine rabbis. It was another sign of his close friendship with Jews, despite some recent concern in Israel that he's giving the Jewish state short-shrift on his upcoming trip to the Holy Land. By Nicole Winfield. SENT: 790 words, photos.
WEDDING INSURANCE
HARTFORD, Connecticut — Worried about the groom getting cold feet? There's an insurance policy for that. With the cost of the average American wedding reaching about $26,000, insurers have been selling a growing number of policies to protect against losses from extreme weather, illness and, in one firm's case, even a sudden change of heart. By Mike Melia. SENT: 510 words, photo.
ENTERTAINMENT
FILM-KENNETH BRANAGH
BEVERLY HILLS, California — Kenneth Branagh's role as a director began with the story of a valiant king. Leading the 1989 film version of "Henry V" both in front of and behind the camera, Branagh went on to make five more Shakespeare adaptations. Turning plays into movies became his thing. That was until his agent suggested he direct the 2011 blockbuster "Thor." Moving from royalty to mythology, the hammer-wielding god was Branagh's first foray into Hollywood's big-budget domain. The success of "Thor" led to Branagh directing "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit." By Film Writer Jessica Herndon. SENT: 700 words, photos.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION
— EUROPE-COMET CHASER — A comet-chasing space probe that has been in hibernation for almost three years has woken up and sent its first signal back to Earth. SENT: 600 words, photos.
— DEEP FREEZE — Another arctic freeze moves into US, bringing subzero temps to Dakotas and expanding eastward. SENT: 300 words, photo.
— GREECE-TERRORISM — A Greek fugitive who vanished on furlough from prison while serving six life sentences for left-wing bombings and shootings has vowed a return to armed action. SENT: 700 words, photos.
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YOUR QUERIES: The editor in charge at the AP Asia-Pacific Desk in Bangkok is Scott McDonald. Questions and story requests are welcome. The news desk can be reached at (66) 2632-6911 or by email at asia@ap.org.
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News Topics: General news, Embassies, Protests and demonstrations, Municipal governments, Arrests, Flu, Bird flu, Government and politics, Crime, Counterterrorism, Bombings, Government surveillance, War and unrest, Classified information, Supreme courts, Peace process, International relations, Political and civil unrest, Local governments, Law and order, Infectious diseases, Diseases and conditions, Health, Terrorism, National security, Military and defense, Political issues, National courts, National governments, Courts, Judiciary, DiplomacyPeople, Places and Companies: Junichiro Koizumi, Shinzo Abe, Xi Jinping, Ho Chi Minh, Ban Ki-Moon, Bashar Assad, Martin Luther King Jr., Edward Snowden, Kimberly Dozier, Vladimir Putin, Pope Francis, Kenneth Branagh, Indonesia, New Delhi, South Sudan, Syria, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, United States, Jakarta, Southeast Asia, Egypt, Middle East, Geneva, East Asia, Australia, Iran, Vatican City, Russia, Asia, India, South Asia, North Africa, Africa, North America, Java, Switzerland, Western Europe, Europe, Oceania, Eastern Europe
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