Tokyo fire stops bullet trains, strands holidaymakers
A fire near a central Tokyo station threw parts of Japan's bullet train system into chaos on Friday, as tens of thousands of passengers tried to return home from New Year holidays.
03 January 2014
Two Mexican clowns detained over kidnapping
Two men who worked as clowns named "Pistachon" and "Freski Star" in western Mexico have been arrested in connection with an alleged kidnapping, authorities said Thursday.
Thai protests push rebel peace talks down agenda
Stuttering peace talks to end Thailand's bloody southern rebellion are under threat from political turmoil in Bangkok, observers say, as the conflict enters its second decade with no end in sight.
Strong cyclone hits western Australia
A powerful cyclone lashed Australia's resources-rich west coast Tuesday, bringing torrential rains and destructive gales that ripped up trees and roofs and closed major global iron ore operations.
31 December 2013
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Russia buries dead as bombings toll hits 33
Russia beefed up security and mourned its dead on Tuesday as the toll from jarring successive-day suicide strikes in the run-up to the Sochi Winter Olympic Games rose to 33.
31 December 2013
19,000 Indonesians flee erupting volcano
More than 19,000 people have been displaced by a volcano in Indonesia that has been erupting for months and shot lava into the air nine times overnight, an official said Tuesday.
31 December 2013
Evacuation in North Dakota town after fiery oil-train explosion
A freight train loaded with crude oil derailed in the US state of North Dakota Monday, sending a massive plume of toxic smoke skyward and forcing the evacuation of part of a small town, US media reported.
31 December 2013
Egypt police arrest Al-Jazeera journalists: ministry
Egyptian secret police have arrested an award-winning Australian journalist and an Egyptian reporter for the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera channel on suspicion of illegally broadcasting news harming "domestic security", the interior ministry said.
31 December 2013
China holds ex-security chief's colleague over graft
A former close colleague of China's ex-chief of internal security Zhou Yongkang is under investigation for "law and discipline violations", authorities have announced, stepping up anti-corruption inquiries another notch.
31 December 2013
Twin Russia blasts expose Olympic security threat
Successive-day bombings on a railway station and trolleybus in Russia's heartland expose the challenge President Vladimir Putin faces in ensuring a safe Olympics on the edge of the violence-plagued North Caucasus.
South Sudan rebels threaten key town: army
Rebels in violence-wracked South Sudan sought to take back control Monday of a key town they were forced from last week, the army said, vowing to defeat the militia.
Eight police station 'attackers' shot dead in China's Xinjiang: govt
Eight "attackers" armed with knives and explosives were killed Monday during an assault on a police station in China's Xinjiang, according to authorities who have blamed "terrorists" for a string of deadly incidents in the largely Muslim region.