Tens of thousands kick off Venice Carnival
Some 70,000 revellers, many wearing elaborate costumes and masks, thronged Venice's St Mark's Square on Sunday to watch the traditional "flight of the angel," a highlight of the annual Carnival.
04 February 2013
Sequins, beer, robberies at Rio's pet Carnival parade
Hundreds of pets decked out with sequins, ruffles and hats paraded on Rio's famed Copacabana beach Sunday in an annual pre-Carnival extravaganza briefly interrupted by a spate of robberies.
British queen most amused when pageantry goes wrong
Queen Elizabeth II dutifully sits through endless hours of displays of military pomp rehearsed to the second -- and secretly loves it when everything goes wrong.
03 February 2013
Pork found in British prisons' halal food
Britain's Ministry of Justice suspended a supplier of halal meat to prisons on Friday after traces of pork were found inside meat pies and pasties.
03 February 2013
Proud Russia remembers Stalingrad 70 years on
The city of Volgograd was renamed Stalingrad for a day Saturday as Russia marked the 70-year anniversary of a brutal battle in which the Red Army defeated Nazi forces and changed the course of World War II.
03 February 2013
Blood on the tracks at Malaysia's first 'zombie run'
Malaysians smeared with fake blood roamed a jungle range on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur Saturday in the Southeast Asian's country's first "zombie run".
US archbishop releases abuse records, strips cardinal The archbishop of Los Angeles stripped his predecessor of all church duties Thursday as he released files on more than 100 clerics, as required under a 2007 lawsuit deal over alleged sex abuse.
02 February 2013
Australia failing UNESCO demands on Barrier Reef: WWF Australia insisted Friday that protecting the Great Barrier Reef was a top priority, but conservationists WWF said not enough had been done to prevent UNESCO deeming it a world heritage site "in danger".
02 February 2013
Hong Kongers turn to Obama over milk shortage fears More than 12,500 people have petitioned US President Barack Obama to help Hong Kong avoid a baby formula shortage, saying infants in the city are facing malnutrition due to mainland Chinese "smugglers".
02 February 2013
Solomons seeks to prevent mass dolphin killings The Solomon Islands on Friday urged villagers to stop the mass slaughter of dolphins, saying the traditional practice was damaging the Pacific nation's tourism industry.
01 February 2013
Smoke but no fire in smoggy Shanghai Shanghai was forced to deny that China's future tallest building, now under construction, was on fire Thursday after what looked like smog surrounded the towering structure.
Fourteenth rare Borneo pygmy elephant found dead A fourteenth rare Borneo pygmy elephant has been found dead of suspected poisoning, Malaysian officials said Thursday, the latest in a series of fatalities that has shaken conservation efforts.
New Anglican leader says job application was 'joke'The incoming leader of the world's Anglicans said his application to become the Archbishop of Canterbury was "a joke" and he was "just a very, very ordinary Christian".
31 January 2013
Verdi's 'Rigoletto' goes Vegas in New York staging Verdi goes Vegas in a flashy new production of the opera "Rigoletto" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York that features neon lights, a Cadillac and a naked cabaret dancer.