• US wants to maintain base in Japan
  US wants to maintain base in Japan
  

  The US has said that it needs to maintain a base on the Japanese island of Okinawa to defend the region, as the new government in Tokyo considers scrapping a previous plan.
  18/03
• Iraqi PM takes the leads again in election race
  Iraqi PM takes the leads again in election race
  

  

  Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki reclaimed the lead on March 17 over secularist challenger Iyad Allawi in results from a March 7 parliamentary election that has been affected by fraud allegations.
  18/03
• Taliban employs fear campaign in Afghan town
  Taliban employs fear campaign in Afghan town
  

  

  A month after losing control of their southern base in Marjah, the Taliban have launched a campaign of assassination and intimidation to frighten people from supporting the US and its Afghan allies.
  18/03
• Israel rejects halting settlement on eve of Quartet
  Israel rejects halting settlement on eve of Quartet
  

  

  Israel on March 17 dismissed mounting pressure to stop building homes for Jewish settlers in annexed east Jerusalem, with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman saying the demands were ‘unreasonable’.
  18/03
• Thai protesters spill their own blood
  Thai protesters spill their own blood
  

  

  Protesters spilled their own blood at the gates of Thailand’s government headquarters on March 16 in a colourful act of political theatre designed to propel their fugitive hero back to power.
  17/03

More

• China to carry bio sample into space
  China to carry bio sample into space
  

  

  China will carry a bio sample for the European Space Agency on the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft which the country plans to launch in 2011, said Zhang Jianqi, deputy head of the manned space project, on March 8.
  08/03
• Palestinian PM Fayyad resigns
  Palestinian PM Fayyad resigns
  

  

  Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has decided to resign, paving the way for the establishment of a national unity government, the PM Office said in a statement released on March 7.
  07/03
• Mutual visa exemption for Russian and Venezuelan citizens
  Mutual visa exemption for Russian and Venezuelan citizens
  

  Russian and Venezuelan citizens will no longer have to obtain visas to visit each other’s countries as of March 6, according to an agreement signed between the two countries.
  07/03
• Pakistan cricket attacks probe nears conclusion
  Pakistan cricket attacks probe nears conclusion
  

  Pakistani police said on March 6 they would wrap up an interim report within 24 hours into the deadly Sri Lankan cricket attack, after authorities said the perpetrators had been identified.
  07/03
• China wants to end stand-off with Taiwan
  China wants to end stand-off with Taiwan
  

  

  China is willing to hold political and military talks with Taiwan, said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the opening ceremony of the second session of China’s National People\'s Congress on March 5.
  06/03