Putin vows to keep power in Russia
Putin spoke bitingly of his international critics and defied intense criticism from Washington.

U.S. will shoot down plummeting satellite
The Pentagon is planning to shoot down a malfunctioning intelligence satellite before it crashes to Earth, just a year after U.S. officials protested when China shot down a broken weather satellite.

Hezbollah threatens Israel over slain militant
Hezbollah's leader told 10,000 mourners that Hezbollah was ready to retaliate "anywhere" against Israel.
- Slain Hezbollah chief was among world's most feared terrorists

France urges IAEA chief to toughen sanctions on Iran
France has taken a hard line in pressing for tougher international sanctions against Iran for flouting United Nations Security Council resolutions that demanded that it stop making nuclear fuel.

Fed chief sees room to reduce rates again
Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, said Thursday that the economic outlook in the United States had worsened, leaving room for the central bank to reduce interest rates yet again.
- Exports help narrow U.S. trade gap

On the road to a lawful Kosovo: Evictions
With succession from Serbia imminent, the UN's Kosovo Property Agency tries to bring law and order to a territory riven by bloody dispute over land ownership.

Gunman opens fires in lecture hall at Northern Illinois University
A gunman opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, injuring as many as 15 people, authorities said.

Deutsche Post chief under investigation for tax evasion
One of Germany's most prominent corporate chiefs, Klaus Zumwinkel, is accused of evading €1 million, or $1.46 million, in taxes.

British court exonerates man held after 9/11
An appeals court said Thursday that the Algerian-born British resident, whom the American authorities had suspected of training some of the pilots involved in the 2001 terrorist attacks and held for nearly five months, could seek compensation from the British government .

President Ahmadinejad of Iran to make first visit to Iraq in March
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran will make a landmark visit to Iraq on March 2, the first such trip to be made by an Iranian leader, the Iraqi government said Thursday.
- Thousands of new detainees overwhelm Iraq's courts and prisons

France admits transporting Libyan munitions to back Chad's president
France said Thursday that it transported Libyan munitions to Chad's army during a rebellion this month, shedding new light on the role of French troops based in Chad during the fighting.

As Kenya calms, a mother mourns
Millicent Awino, 23, lost both her children when a mob surrounded the house where they were hiding with 17 other people, barricaded the doors and soaked the walls with gasoline.

Israel's quandary in Gaza
Israel hoped that by pulling its settlers and troops from Gaza in 2005, it would also leave behind responsibility for the Gazans - but it was a case of wishful thinking.

At Berlinale, a lingering déjà vu as it focuses on a U.S. war
Errol Morris's "Standard Operating Procedure," Koji Wakamatsu's "Red Army," Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood," and Madonna's "Filth and Wisdom" all show history and politics are very much in evidence at the Berlin Film Festival.