AFP - Coalition air strikes killed 20 insurgents who had opened fire on foreign and Afghan troops returning to base in southern Afghanistan at the weekend, the NATO-led force has said.

AP - Nationalist Shinzo Abe moved toward an easy victory in Tuesday's parliamentary election for prime minister with a promise to create a more assertive Japan and give its military a larger international role.

AFP - Gordon Brown, in a big pitch to become Britain's next prime minister, played up his reputation for being a dour, hard-working man driven by his Scottish Presbyterian background.

AP - Thailand's military rulers are struggling to convince the international community that staging a coup was the only way to maintain democracy here. But it's been a tough sell.