This is a sample budget. It is what assignment editors use to plan what will go in the day's news report.

Your pitches should look a lot like the items in these budget -- not just a general topic, but a concrete idea of what the story will look like.

Please note that some of these stories were not written when this budget was created, they were just the reporters' pitches.

Budgets are referred to in the "pitching a story" reading.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A sample Associated Press news budget

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan A suicide bomber targeting a former police chief blows himself up in a busy town market in southern Afghanistan, killing 17 people and wounding 47 in an attack claimed by the Taliban, which in a rare move, expresses sadness over the civilian deaths.
¶ BC-AS-GEN--Afghanistan
¶ By Abdul Khaleq. 600 words.
¶
¶
¶ ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Pakistan is considering a British request for the extradition of Rashid Rauf, a Briton arrested in Pakistan earlier this month and allegedly a "key person" in the thwarted plot to blow up U.S.-bound jetliners.
¶ BC-AS-GEN--Pakistan-Terror Plot.
¶ By Sadaqat Jan. 600 words.
¶
¶
¶ ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Her father billed it as a two-week holiday to learn about her Pakistani heritage. But the British woman soon found herself captive in a remote village for over a year and promised in marriage to a cousin she'd never met. She luckily escaped before the planned wedding, avoiding a fate that befalls Americans, Europeans and scores of other foreigners in this conservative Islamic country annually.
¶ BC-AS-GEN--Pakistan-Forced Marriage.
¶ By Paul Garwood. 700 words. AP Photos.
¶ Offering for spotting tonight, story is competitive.
¶ cheers,
¶ islamabad/mat
¶
¶
¶ offering for AMs.
¶ chrs
¶ DEL-rosenberg
¶
¶ Aid workers targeted in Sri Lankan clashes
¶
¶ COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Seventeen Sri Lankans working for an international aid agency are slain execution style; ambulances ferrying wounded civilians are blown off the road; access to tens of thousands of displaced in rebel-held territory is restricted. Fierce fighting between Tamil Tiger rebels and security forces is engulfing parts of Sri Lanka, and aid agencies say the conflict is shaping up to be among the most dangerous for humanitarian workers in recent years.
¶ BC-AS-GEN--Sri Lanka-Aid Workers
¶ By Cassie Biggs
¶ AP Photos
¶ about 850 words intjw 87 allas eur par sifeat tokd gfx tokp
^BC-AP--AP Asian News Digest, Update<
^ASIA AT 1200 GMT, Monday, Aug. 28, 2006<
¶
^------------------------------------------------------<
^TOP NEW STORIES:<
^------------------------------------------------------<
¶
¶ _PAKISTAN-TERROR PLOT. Britain requests extradition from Pakistan of suspect in jetliner terror plot.
¶ _VIETNAM-CYBER DISSIDENT. Vietnam to release cyber dissident in general amnesty.
¶ _INDONESIA-EXECUTIONS. 3 Christians on death row for killing Muslims seek presidential pardon.
¶ _JAPAN-US-MISSILE DEFENSE. Japan welcomes US moves to step up missile defense.
¶ _THAILAND-SOUTHERN VIOLENCE. Attackers shoot, cut off ears of defense volunteer in restive south.
¶ _PHILIPPINES-MUSLIM REBELS. Troops arrest 3 alleged rebels about to board ferry with bombs.
¶ _PHILIPPINES-OIL SPILL. Australia, France to help Philippines deal with massive oil spill, Arroyo says.
¶ _INDIA-DIGITAL LIBRARY. University in New Delhi to digitize its priceless collection of books, ancient manuscripts.
¶
^------------------------------------------------------<
^MAIN ASIAN SPOT NEWS:<
^------------------------------------------------------<
¶
¶ Suicide bombing in southern Afghan town kills 17 people, wounds 47
¶
¶ KANDAHAR, Afghanistan _ A suicide bomber blows himself up in a crowded town market, killing 17 people and wounding 47, in the latest violence to hit insurgency-wracked southern Afghanistan. BC-AS-GEN--AFGHANISTAN. Lead moved. By Noor Khan. AP Photo XSD102.
¶
¶ Thousands observe strike, condemn Pakistani government over tribal chief's killing
¶
¶ QUETTA, Pakistan _ Fresh riots break out in southwestern Pakistan where thousands observed a large-scale strike and lawmakers condemned the government over the weekend killing of one of the country's most prominent tribal chiefs in a military raid. BC-AS-GEN--PAKISTAN-TRIBAL UNREST. Lead moved. By Abdul Sattar. AP Photo KAR108.
¶
¶ ALSO MOVED:
¶ _BC-AS-GEN--PAKISTAN-TERROR PLOT. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan _ Britain has requested the extradition of Rashid Rauf, a Briton arrested in Pakistan earlier this month in connection with the alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound jetliners, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says.
¶ _BC-AS-GEN--PAKISTAN-MILITANT DETENTION. LAHORE, Pakistan _ Pakistani court orders release of ex-militant leader under house arrest. By Asif Shahzad. AP Photos.
¶
¶ Sri Lankan forces move to flush rebels from key villages in northeast
¶
¶ COLOMBO, Sri Lanka _ Two soldiers are killed and 12 wounded as Sri Lanka's armed forces move to retake four strategic villages from Tamil Tiger rebels in the northeast, the military says. BC-AS-GEN--SRI LANKA. Lead moved. By Ruwan Weerakoon. AP Photo XGA110.
¶
¶ South Korean spy agency chief says North Korea can conduct nuclear test anytime
¶
¶ SEOUL, South Korea _ North Korea has facilities on standby to test a nuclear explosion and could do so at any time, the chief of South Korea's main spy agency says, according to a lawmaker and a government official. BC-AS-GEN--KOREAS-NUCLEAR. Lead moved. AP Photo TOK109.
¶
¶ ALSO MOVED:
¶ _BC-AS-GEN--KOREAS-FLOODS. SEOUL, South Korea _ South Korea puts toll from floods in North Korea at 800-900 dead or missing.
¶
¶ China says initial tests find bird flu vaccine safe
¶
¶ BEIJING _ A Chinese-developed vaccine against the H5N1 strain of bird flu in humans has been found safe in its first round of tests, a government news agency reports. BC-AS-MED--CHINA-BIRD FLU-VACCINE. Moved.
¶
¶ Japan's Koizumi says his war shrine visits did not fan nationalism
¶
¶ TOKYO _ Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi denies that his visits to a Tokyo war shrine encourage nationalism, and instead accuses the media of stirring up controversy. BC-AS-GEN--JAPAN-WAR SHRINE. Lead moved. By Kana Inagaki. AP Photo TOK104.
¶
¶ ALSO MOVED:
¶ _BC-AS-GEN--JAPAN-US-MISSILE DEFENSE. TOKYO _ Japan's foreign minister welcomes the deployment of advanced U.S. missile defense systems in Japan, as concerns linger over North Korea's missile program.
¶ _BC-AS-GEN--JAPAN-CENTRAL ASIA. TOKYO _ Koizumi heads for Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to search for new supplies of natural resources. By Kana Inagaki. AP Photo TOK801.
¶ _BC-AS-GEN--JAPAN-CHINA-GAS. TOKYO _ Japan protests China's gas exploration at a new site in disputed waters in the East China Sea.
¶
¶ Australian has movements restricted under new terrorism laws, official says
¶
¶ CANBERRA, Australia _ A man accused of receiving funds from al-Qaida in Pakistan has become the first Australian to have his movements restricted under tough new anti-terrorism laws. BC-AS-GEN--AUSTRALIA-TERROR SUSPECT. Moved. By Rod McGuirk.
¶
¶ Philippine troops arrest 3 alleged rebels about to board ferry with bombs
¶
¶ MANILA, Philippines _ Philippine troops arrest three suspected Muslim rebels allegedly found carrying improvised bombs while about to board a Manila-bound ferry, officials say. BC-AS-GEN--PHILIPPINES-MUSLIM REBELS. Moved. By Teresa Cerojano.
¶
¶ ALSO MOVED:
¶ _BC-AS-GEN--PHILIPPINES-OIL SPILL. MANILA, Philippines _ Australia and France have pledged to help the Philippines clean up a massive oil spill from a sunken tanker, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo says. By Jim Gomez. AP Photo MLA108.
¶ _BC-AS-GEN--PHILIPPINES-VILLAGE ATTACK. COTABATO, Philippines _ Philippine troops clash with suspected Muslim rebels who attacked a southern farming village as part of a local feud then reportedly abduct residents while withdrawing.
¶
¶ Dozens feared dead as mudslide washes away village in Nepal
¶
¶ KATMANDU, Nepal _ Five people are confirmed killed and dozens more feared dead after heavy monsoon rains triggered a mudslide that washed away a mountainside village and submerged several more in a remote region of this Himalayan country, officials say. BC-AS-GEN--NEPAL-MUDSLIDE. Lead moved. By Yuvraj Acharya.
¶
¶ 3 Christians on death row in Indonesia for killing Muslims seek presidential pardon
¶
¶ JAKARTA, Indonesia _ Three Christians on death row for killing Muslims during religious clashes in eastern Indonesia six years ago have repeated a request for a presidential pardon, lawyers and government officials say. BC-AS-GEN--INDONESIA-EXECUTIONS. Lead moved. By Ali Kotarumalos.
¶
¶ Fake bomb found near residence of Thailand's prime minister
¶
¶ BANGKOK, Thailand _ Police uncover a fake bomb near the residence of Thailand's prime minister, four days after a genuine explosive was found inside a car close to his house, police say. BC-AS-GEN--THAILAND-BOMB. Moved. AP Photo BK102.
¶
¶ ALSO MOVED:
¶ _BC-AS-GEN--THAILAND-SOUTHERN VIOLENCE. BANGKOK, Thailand _ Attackers shoot dead a village defense volunteer and then cut off his ears, police say.
¶
¶ Vietnam to release cyber dissident in general amnesty
¶
¶ HANOI, Vietnam _ Vietnamese cyber dissident Pham Hong Son, who was originally sentenced to 13 years in jail for spying after promoting democracy on the Internet, is to be released early in a general amnesty, an official says. BC-AS-GEN--VIETNAM-CYBER DISSIDENT. Lead moved. By Margie Mason.
¶
¶ Venezuelan president starts Malaysian visit with focus likely on Mideast, oil cooperation
¶
¶ KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia _ Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez receives a red-carpet welcome in Malaysia ahead of talks expected to focus on politics in the Middle East and cooperation in the oil and gas sector. BC-AS-GEN--MALAYSIA-VENEZUELA. Moved.
¶
¶ ALSO:
¶ _BC-AS-GEN--MALAYSIA-MUSLIMS VS. CORRUPTION. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia _ Malaysian leader urges Muslim nations to woo investors through anti-corruption reforms.
¶
¶ University in New Delhi to digitize its priceless collection of books, ancient manuscripts
¶
¶ NEW DELHI _ The Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi plans to digitize its collection of books and manuscripts, some of them dating to the 16th century, to make them more accessible to researchers, a newspaper reports. BC-AS-GEN--INDIA-DIGITAL LIBRARY. Moved.
¶
^------------------------------------------------------<
^BUSINESS AND FINANCE:<
^------------------------------------------------------<
¶
¶ U.S. trade envoy presses China for help restarting WTO talks
¶
¶ BEIJING _ A top U.S. trade envoy pressed China's commerce minister for Beijing's help in reviving faltering global trade talks, an American spokesman says. BC-AS-FIN--CHINA-US-TRADE. Lead moved. By Joe McDonald. AP Photo TOK103.
¶
¶ Sinopec Corp., Asia's largest refiner, reports 1H net profit up 8.9 percent
¶
¶ SHANGHAI, China _ China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., Asia's largest refiner by capacity, says its first-half net profit climbed 8.9 percent from a year earlier, as high crude prices offset losses in its refining division. BC-AS-FIN-EARNS--CHINA-SINOPEC. Moved.
¶
¶ Toyota, Honda, Mazda report global production gains in July; Nissan, Mitsubishi falter
¶
¶ TOKYO _ Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Mazda say their global production climbed in July, but Nissan and Mitsubishi report declines for the month. BC-AS-FIN--JAPAN-AUTO PRODUCTION. Moved.
¶
¶ U.S. drug maker Mylan Laboratories to acquire India's Matrix Lab for US$736 million
¶
¶ NEW DELHI _ U.S. drug maker Mylan Laboratories reaches a deal to buy 71.5 percent stake in India's Matrix Laboratories for US$736 million (euro577 million). BC-AS-FIN-COM--INDIA-MYLAN-MATRIX. Lead moved.
¶
^-------------------------------------------------------<
¶ YOUR QUERIES: The Associated Press editor in charge at the AP Asia-Pacific Desk in Bangkok is Pamela Sampson. Questions and story requests are welcome. The Asia News Desk can be reached at (66) 2632-6911 or by e-mail at asia@ap.org.
¶ The Asia Photo Desk can be reached at (81-3) 6215-8941 or by fax at (81-3) 3574-8850.
¶ The AP International Desk in New York can be reached at (1) 212-621-1650 or by fax at (1) 212-621-5449 or by e-mail at worldnews@ap.org.