A Turkmen woman with her child casts her ballot at polling station in the agricultural university in Ashghabat, Turkmenistan, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. Voters in Turkmenistan headed to the polls Sunday in a presidential election designed to cement the incumbent's hold on power in the authoritarian Central Asian nation. The seven candidates running against President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov have all made praise for his leadership a central plank of their campaigns.

Alexander Vershinin/AP Photo

Turkmen president wins 97 percent of vote

Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov won a new five-year term by capturing 97 percent of the vote, election officials said Monday, but a Western expert called the vote a democratic sham. 1329132805

UK suspect in Iran missile plot to be sent to US

The lawyer for a retired British businessman accused of plotting to sell missile components to Iran says he will be extradited to the United States within days. 1329132802
Pakistani PM charged with contempt over graft case

The Supreme Court charged Pakistan's prime minister with contempt Monday for defying its order to reopen an old corruption case against the president, sharpening a political crisis that has shaken this already volatile country. 1329132802
Correction: Syria story

In a Feb. 12 story about the meeting of Arab League foreign ministers, The Associated Press misquoted League chief Nabil Elaraby as saying Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wrote him a letter saying Russia would agree to a joint U.N.-Arab League peacekeeping force in Syria. Elaraby said Lavrov wrote that Russia could agree to a joint U.N.-Arab League observer force. 1329131594
SKorean pastor arrested over children's deaths

South Korean police have arrested a Christian pastor and his wife over the deaths of their three children. The parents are accused of whipping and starving the children in an attempt to cast out demons. 1329130700
Ex-Israel PM corruption case has first hearing

A spokesman for ex-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says a Tel Aviv court will hold its first hearing into a wide-ranging real estate scandal involving the former leader. 1329128581
Settler: Unauthorized outpost to stay 2 more years

Israeli settlers from an unauthorized West Bank outpost said Monday they reached a deal with the country's government to allow them to stay put for two more years, despite Israeli Supreme Court orders to evacuate them next month. 1329132194
At least 1 dead as storm hits Nigerian city

A sudden storm has torn through Nigeria's commercial capital, killing at least one person. 1329123483
Chinese diplomat urges Iran to cooperate with IAEA

A senior Chinese diplomat on a trip to Iran has urged Tehran to cooperate more with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog body. The advice comes amid growing tensions over the Islamic republic's nuclear program and Western sanctions. 1329123483
Taliban announce death of ex-defense minister

The Taliban's former defense minister died in a Pakistani jail in 2010, a spokesman for the insurgent group said Monday. 1329129506
China is mum on call for Syria peacekeeping force

China refused Monday to say if it backs an Arab League call for the U.N. Security Council to create a joint peacekeeping force for Syria, the latest bid to end the violence that has killed more than 5,000 there. 1329121082
Malaysia defends deportation of Saudi journalist

Malaysia's government on Monday defended its decision to deport a young Saudi journalist who may face persecution at home for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad on Twitter. 1329119584
Baghdad's romance grows with Valentine's Day

Iraq's capital is embracing Valentine's Day this year with a huge public display of affection in what its residents say is the nation's most amorous celebration of the holiday ever. 1329117787
Australian lawmakers propose allowing gay marriage

Two bills to allow gay marriages in Australia were introduced in Parliament on Monday but may fail because of political conflicts. 1329131594
Teenage Tibetan nun sets herself on fire in China

An 18-year-old Tibetan nun has set herself on fire in western China in the latest such protest against Beijing's handling of the vast ethnic Tibetan regions it rules, an overseas activist group said.
Trial opens for top suspect in 2002 Bali bombings

The Muslim militant suspected of building the bombs used in the 2002 Bali attack went on trial Monday on terrorism charges, a year after he was captured in the same Pakistani town where Osama bin Laden was hiding. 1329120785
US Embassy in Guatemala criticizes legalizing drug

The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala is criticizing President Otto Perez Molina's proposal to legalize drugs in Central America.
Oil near $100 as Greece approves austerity cuts

Oil prices rose to near $100 a barrel Monday in Asia after the Greek parliament approved new austerity measures that should secure a bailout and avoid bankruptcy. 1329120181
Zambia celebrates as team wins African Cup

Zambians poured out of their houses, clubs and bars to celebrate in the streets early Monday after watching their team beat Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in the African Cup finals.
Govt: Health scare on New Zealand flight just flu

A health scare on a flight from Japan to New Zealand appears to be nothing more serious than a seasonal outbreak of influenza.