Iran's Khatami stirs political rumors

YAZD, Iran -- It all seemed like the stirrings of a major political challenge to Iran's firebrand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Schoolchildren serenaded the popular reformist leader he replaced and a hometown audience chanted Wednesday, "Our next president."

Nearby, European dignitaries praised former President Mohammad Khatami for his cooperation during his eight years in office.

But it was a show without a clear finale: Was Khatami simply accepting accolades for the past or offering hints of a political encore?

Khatami has so far remained quiet on whether he'll seek a comeback in next June's presidential election as a powerful counterpoint to Ahmadinejad, whose blend of Western defiance and fiery nationalism stands in sharp relief to Khatami's tempered tones and appeals for global dialogue.

Russian lawyer suspects poisoning

MOSCOW -- A Russian lawyer said Wednesday she suspects she and her family were poisoned by mercury found in her car, keeping her away from the start of the trial of three men accused in the slaying of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

Karinna Moskalenko, who has represented several Kremlin foes and is a lawyer for Politkovskaya's family, told The Associated Press she and her husband found balls of mercury in their car Sunday in Strasbourg, France. She said it may have been attempt to frighten her, but that it was unclear whether there was a link to the Politkovskaya murder trial.

"Somebody put it there, but I don't know who could have done it or what aims they were pursuing," Moskalenko said by telephone from Strasbourg, where she helps Russians take claims against the authorities to the European Court of Human Rights.

Several Russians who have criticized or angered the Kremlin -- including Politkovskaya -- have been victims of alleged poisoning attacks in recent years.

Politkovskaya fell seriously ill with food poisoning after drinking tea on a flight from Moscow in 2004, which prevented her from covering the hostage crisis in Beslan in which more than 330 people were killed. Former KGB officer and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko died in Britain in 2006 after ingesting radioactive polonium 210, weeks after Politkovskaya was gunned down.

Battle erupts at Thai-Cambodian border

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Escalating tensions between Thailand and Cambodia over a disputed border near a historic temple erupted Wednesday in a deadly gun battle, prompting officials to quickly declare that they would resolve the dispute through talks, not bullets.

Two Cambodian troops were killed, the first deaths in a four-month standoff that began when UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have Preah Vihear temple named a World Heritage Site. Thailand feared that its claims over nearby land would be undermined.

In recent days, as the dispute fueled nationalism in both countries, officials appeared to be preparing for a major confrontation.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an ultimatum to Thailand on Tuesday to pull back its soldiers from the disputed territory, calling it "a life-and-death battle zone."

Thailand moved reinforcements up to the border area.

After 436 years, Austrian stables take in women

VIENNA, Austria -- It's no longer a man's world in Austria's most sophisticated stables.

The country's prestigious Spanish Riding School, for centuries a bastion of masculinity, is modernizing: On Wednesday, the 436-year-old institution officially presented its first female riders-in-training.

The school, which was founded in 1572 and is part of Vienna's former imperial Hofburg Palace complex, is known for its elegant white Lipizzaner stallions.

Every year, throngs of tourists from around the world watch as the horses, led by male riders in identical uniforms, gracefully perform exercises and jumps.

Allowing women to sit in the saddle marks a distinct break with tradition. But for Elisabeth Guertler, the director, opening up the exclusive club reflects the realities of modern life.

"What speaks against it?" Guertler told reporters. "Today, ladies and gentlemen both have to earn their keep and prove themselves."

In the 18th century, ladies of the Austrian royal court regularly rode the Lipizzaner horses but were not recruited to be trainers.