Christian Science Monitor (World)

The world watched French troops summarily turn back rebel fighters in northern Mali, but the future remains grim for millions of Malians affected by the fighting, writes Alex Thurston.

The chivalric order of the Knights of Malta, which has an annual budget of $800 million, announced the switch of emphasis from Asia and Africa to Europe this week.

Italian news agencies say Siena prosecutors ordered the seizures Wednesday.

The country faces two competing visions of democracy, one that emphasizes majority rule versus another that stresses minority protections.

Tokyo's claim coincides with Japan's annual 'Northern Territories Day,' during which rallies are held to urge Russia to return several islands the Soviet Union seized during World War II.

'Negotiations will not solve the problems' between Iran and the US, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today, squashing one-on-one nuclear talks proposed by the US.

Argentina has made an agreement with major supermarkets and appliance stores to freeze prices until April. Price freezes are the sledgehammer of economic policy tools, says a guest blogger.

Tens of thousands turned out for the burial today of Tunisian opposition leader Chokri Belaid. His assassination Wednesday prompted angry street protests across the country.

The video, shown on Iranian TV, purports to show intelligence gathered by the drone before it was brought down by Iran in Dec. 2011.

Japan said two Russian fighter jets briefly entered Japan's air space near disputed islands, prompting Japan to scramble combat fighter jets in response. Russia denied the charge

One farmer in India shows how turning the gases emitted by cow dung can become a clean, renewable fuel that saves him money, increases his productivity, and boosts his profits.

While Bulgaria has fingered Hezbollah in a deadly 2012 attack on Israeli tourists, some EU members remain reluctant to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization. 

Prominent Tunisian opposition leader, Chokri Belaid, was assassinated on Wednesday, driving many to the streets. Officials fear the assassination may destabilize Tunisia's recent progress toward democracy. 

People are staying on higher ground as they wait for aftershocks to subside following an earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands on Wednesday. Officials estimate 100 homes were damaged and six people were killed.

Dates and numbers have great symbolic importance to North Korea, so Pyongyang often schedules what Washington calls 'provocative acts' around holidays and important political events.

Heroin use is booming in the Canadian province, almost a year after the regional government tightened access to OxyContin, sometimes called 'hillbilly heroin,' to stem abuse.

Still unstable two years after its revolution, Tunisia now must contend with the aftermath of a political leader's murder – including the formation of a new government.

Key questions about the credibility of the Afghan attorney general's office as it prepares to investigate accusations that Kam Air is involved in drug-smuggling.  

'Negotiations will not solve the problems' between Iran and the US, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said today, squashing one-on-one nuclear talks proposed by the US.

Europe's heads of state are set to meet in Brussels during the next two days to determine a new EU budget, with richer nations pushing for budget cuts that poorer countries oppose.