A strong quake has shattered buildings near the Turkish city of Van, killing more than 200 people and trapping an unknown number under rubble.  

Libya's interim leaders declared the nation's freedom on October 23, ushering in a new era after the death of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.  

The worst flooding to afflict Thailand in half a century could take more than a month to recede in some areas, the Thai government said on October 23.

Polls closed on October 23 in Tunisia, the torchbearer of the so-called Arab Spring, but voters will not see results of national elections until Tuesday, officials said.  

EU finance ministers framed a deal on Saturday for recapitalizing European banks, and the leaders of Germany and France said they hoped for a breakthrough in tackling the euro zone debt crisis at a summit on Wednesday.

The International Monetary Fund is not seeking more funds from Gulf Arab oil exporters to bolster its resources, and the region faces no major danger from the euro zone debt crisis, the IMF's Deputy Managing Director Nemat Shafik said on Saturday.

Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said in an interview with the BBC on Saturday he wished ex-leader Muammar Gaddafi had not been killed and instead had been put on trial.

Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the US, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast on Saturday.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says his country's refusal to grant immunity from prosecution to US troops led to President Barack Obama's decision to withdraw the remainder of American forces by the end of the year.

The Turkish armed forces near the border with Iraq say they have killed at least 49 Kurdish rebels in an offensive over the past two days.