International

AP - Two strongly felt earthquakes have rocked central Chile as dignitaries arrive for the inauguration of President-elect Sebastian Pinera.

AP - A U.K. man says he plans to make the first round-the-world trip in a customized rotorcraft known as an autogyro.

AP - A U.N. body best known for protecting tigers and elephants will focus on the world's overfished oceans beginning this week with proposals to regulate the shark trade and ban the export of a tuna species prized by sushi lovers.

AP - Early results from Iraq's key election began coming in Thursday, showing a coalition led by the prime minister ahead in two southern Shiite provinces where he was opposed by hard-line religious parties with close ties to Iran.

AP - Information on 24,000 HSBC customers with Swiss accounts has been stolen, the British bank said Thursday, potentially exposing large numbers of international clients to prosecution by tax authorities in their home countries.

AP - Pakistani officials say a botched suicide bombing aimed at a security convoy on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar has wounded three children playing nearby.

AP - Serious street clashes erupted between rioting youths and police in central Athens Thursday as some 30,000 people demonstrated during a nationwide strike against the cash-strapped government's austerity measures.

AFP - The Red Cross on Thursday said at least 2.17 million Zimbabweans need food aid and the figures are set to rise because of an expected poor harvest this year.

The Christian Science Monitor - With the release of the latest Forbes rich list of billionaires, India is finding much to brag about – even as other fast-growing economies like China make their mark.

AP - An elephant calf that was believed to have died during a nine-day labor is feeding itself and has earned the nickname "Mr. Shuffles" since learning to stand, Taronga Zoo officials said Thursday.

AP - Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from running in upcoming elections and won't even be allowed to vote, according to laws published Thursday.

AP - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday implored Israelis and Palestinians to move beyond a diplomatic spat that has marred his trip to the region, urging the sides to waste no time in resolving their decades-old conflict despite daunting obstacles.

Time.com - A landmark court ruling has opened the way for women to seek greater protection through a new law being debated in parliament

Time.com - Hong Kong's mini-constitution under China promises eventual democracy for the city state, but little progress has been made over the past decade, despite mounting pressure from pro-democratic parties

McClatchy Newspapers - JERUSALEM — President Barack Obama faces what may be the biggest test to date of his credibility in the Middle East after Israel greeted Vice President Joe Biden's with an announcement that it will construct 1,600 new homes in disputed East Jerusalem, diplomats and analysts said Wednesday.

AP - Church abuse scandals in Germany have reached the older brother of Pope Benedict XVI and are creeping ever closer to the pontiff himself.

AP - Two years after receiving its first deposits, a "doomsday" seed vault on an Arctic island has amassed half a million seed samples, making it the world's most diverse repository of crop seeds, the vault's operators announced Thursday.

AFP - Two Australian teenagers have been charged over a vicious attack on a disabled Canadian tourist who was knocked out of his wheelchair and battered with a metal bar, police said on Thursday.

McClatchy Newspapers - ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's powerful spy chief, who's important to the domestic campaign against Islamic extremists and his country's co-operation with the U.S.-led coalition in neighboring Afghanistan, will remain in office for another year, the government announced Wednesday.

AP - President Michelle Bachelet leaves office Thursday with a chunk of her country in ruins — and her popularity in the clouds.