Myanmar's announcement of new elections met with skepticism
The elections would be the first since 1990, when the military ignored the results of a landslide victory for the National League for Democracy.

Spanish find a Pakistani link in terror case
A suspected bombing plot in Spain is indicative of an important threat coming from Pakistan, officials assert.

Lack of consensus on Bhutto killing furthers political unrest
Pakistan seems no closer to agreeing on some of the most basic facts, making it ever more likely that the circumstances of Bhutto's death will become grist for the political mills.

Russian proposes new U.S. dialogue
A speech by Sergei Ivanov, Russia's deputy prime minister and former defense minister, marked a shift in tone and content, compared with a speech last week by President Vladimir Putin and a speech Putin delivered at the Munich Security Conference a year ago.
- Czechs seek accord by spring on U.S. missile shield

Pride and panic in messages between traders
A trail of instant messages between Jérôme Kerviel, whom Société Générale blames for nearly €5 billion of losses, and a friend suggests Kerviel may not have acted alone.
- Société Générale travails draw attention to scandals elsewhere

Bomber kills 23 Iraqis at checkpoint
A car bomb exploded Sunday near an Iraqi checkpoint in a market area north of Baghdad, killing at least 23 civilians and wounding 25, the U.S. military said.

Calls for tough action as more rockets hit Israel
Israeli cabinet ministers pressed Sunday for sharper military action in Gaza after a rocket attack by Palestinian militants seriously wounded two brothers, 8 and 19, in Israel.

Pakistanis bury suicide attack victims
About 100,000 people gathered in a sports stadium in the southern Pakistan city of Thatta, where Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, opened her party's election campaign in a bid to sweep the party into power.

Fire seriously damages London's Camden market
A fire that raged for nearly three hours late Saturday seriously damaged London's Camden market and surrounding buildings, including the iconic Hawley Arms pub. There were no immediate reports of casualties, and firefighters were working Sunday to find out what caused the blaze.

Kenya opposition trying to satisfy all sides
The opposition leader Raila Odinga, who accuses President Mwai Kibaki of stealing the Dec. 27 election, promised Sunday not to betray his supporters but also assured international mediators that he was ready to accept a political solution to end weeks of violence.

Dynamic Democratic Party electorate eludes pollsters
Albert R. Hunt on the state of polling in the United States, after a rash of results in the Democratic primaries defied predictions.

Universities rush to set up outposts abroad
The American system of higher education, long the envy of the world, is starting to become an important export.

Marc Jacobs: Child/woman is all grown up
But in the end, as the models in their clean, clear but quirky sportswear lined up on a high backdrop of scaffolding, what mattered was not the fact that the notoriously tardy Jacobs had got on with his show. It was that his fall/winter collection was so good.
- Designer's company may have paid bribes to use New York show venue