President Barack Obama launches a landmark Middle East trip on Wednesday to reach out to the world’s Muslims, meeting first with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh, and then heading to Cairo for a highly anticipated speech. Osama bin Laden releases a new audiotape in time with the visit.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg visits South Korea and calls on North Korea to choose dialogue over further provocative action. He does not rule out the possibility of sanctions.

French and Brazilian ships search for debris – and possibly bodies – near the crash site of the doomed Air France flight that disappeared on Monday.

India’s parliament unanimously chooses its first women speaker – Meira Kumar.

Amid a global economic crisis and South Africa’s worst recession, newly elected President Jacob Zuma vows to create half a million jobs in six months. Oponents dismiss his plans as a “wish list.”

A private Chinese firm buys Hummer from General Motors, but says it has no plans to build a new manufacturing plant.