The accident is another in a series that have provoked anger toward the authoritarian government. This time, a bus with nine seats was carrying 64 passengers.

In what looks to be the largest such attack so far in the months-long uprising against the Assad regime, the Air Force Intelligence building and other sites were struck, activists say.

One of Japan's most venerable corporations is facing possible bankruptcy and its executives face jail time. The corporate scandal has stunned the nation. Olympus, a maker of cameras and medical equipment that is a household name in Japan, has been cooking its books and covering losses dating back to the 1990s.

Despite threatened attacks by the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has convened a grand assembly in the capital Kabul. Among other things being discussed, is the prospect of a strategic partnership with the United States that would keep American troops in the country after the 2014 drawdown.

Australia is the latest stop on President Obama's tour of the Pacific Rim countries that the president thinks should be the new focus of U.S. foreign policy. It is already the focus of a competition for influence with China.