European ministers on March 16 stressed that a contingency plan for saving Greece from bankruptcy with emergency loans was simply prudent planning and was unlikely to be enacted.

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck near Los Angeles on March 16, awakening residents but causing no apparent damage in the second largest U.S. city, the U.S. Geological Survey and witnesses said.

Tropical Cyclone Tomas battered Fiji's northern islands on the evening of March 15 with gusts of up to 275 km/h and heavy rain.

Vietnam and seven other nations began their first round of negotiation on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Melbourne, Australia, on March 15.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said he cannot accept the red-shirts' demand to dissolve the House of Representatives by noon of March 15.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 14 voiced regret for the announcement of a Jewish settlement plan that has strained ties with Washington and threatens the revival of Middle East peace talks.

A strong quake of 6.4 magnitude hit waters off Indonesia on March 14 but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Tens of thousands of protesters converged in Bangkok on March 14, giving Thailand's military-backed government an ultimatum: call elections in 24 hours or face crippling demonstrations across the capital.

The US is to blame for recent tensions in Sino-US ties and must take steps to repair the damage, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on March 14, indicating no let-up in their diplomatic row.

The governor of Kandahar province demanded more security around Afghanistan's largest southern city on March 14 after 12 explosions killed dozens of people in the Taliban heartland that will be the target of the war's next major offensive.