AVAZA, Turkmenistan (Reuters) - Turkmenistan signed landmark agreements on Wednesday to supply natural gas to Pakistan and India, moving a step closer to building a U.S.-backed pipeline running across Afghanistan.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who served under deposed leader Hosni Mubarak.

YANGON (Reuters) - As long-isolated Myanmar opens up, its people are flexing their newly democratic muscles and testing the boundaries of freedom in a series of protests over chronic power outages.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptians began voting on Wednesday in the nation's first genuine presidential election that will pick the man to replace Hosni Mubarak who was ousted in a popular uprising last year.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Unchecked abuses in cities by shadowy para-police units derided by many Chinese as "arbitrary and thuggish" are intensifying social strains and undermining stability, international advocacy group Human Rights Watch said in a report on Wednesday.

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog director said on Tuesday he expected to sign a deal with Iran soon to unblock an investigation into suspected work on atom bombs, potentially brightening prospects for big-power talks with Tehran to stop a drift toward conflict.