Costa Rica tightens ban on shark fins
Costa Rica has banned the import of shark fins, closing a legal loophole and targeting a link in a global production chain stretching to Asian markets, where shark fin soup is seen as a delicacy.
12 October 2012 11:08
Munro, Murakami and Roth among Nobel literature favourites
With just hours to go before the Nobel Literature Prize laureate is announced in Stockholm, speculation has hit fever pitch with Canada's Alice Munro and Japan's Haruki Murakami often cited as possible winners.
11 October 2012 18:42
Freed Pussy Riot member vows more protests
A member of the anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot freed unexpectedly from prison on Wednesday vowed defiantly hours later that the group's protest actions would continue.
11 October 2012 18:16
Austrian space diver no stranger to danger
Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian daredevil who had hoped to make history Tuesday with a jump from the edge of space, is no stranger to death-defying danger.
Doctors to decide if Pakistani girl to go abroad
A team of senior Pakistani doctors flew to Peshawar on Wednesday to decide whether a 14-year-old child activist needs medical treatment abroad after she was shot in the head by the Talibanю
Cannabis eases sclerosis stiffness - study
Use of cannabis extract helps ease painful muscle stiffness among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a large trial published on Tuesday in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
10 October 2012 14:50
Gaga and Assange meet in London
US pop star Lady Gaga has visited WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at London's Ecuadorian embassy, where he is currently seeking refuge.
10 October 2012 14:14
Australians trial Botox to treat hay fever
The best-selling wrinkle erasing drug Botox will be used in an Australian study to treat hay fever, researchers said Tuesday after it showed promise in providing relief in early trials.
10 October 2012 13:05
Pussy Riot, Panahi, Beliatsky on final Sakharov short list
Russian punk band Pussy Riot, Iran's film-maker Jafar Panahi and rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, and Belarus dissident Ales Beliatsky were put on a final shortlist for the European Parliament's Sakharov rights priz.
10 October 2012 12:47
Imran Khan: from cricket star to political kingmaker?
Imran Khan, Pakistan's cricket hero turned politician, failed to reach the tribal badlands on a much-hyped march but did succeed in lighting up the political stage once more.
Tomatoes can lower stroke risk: study
Eating tomatoes can dramatically reduce the risk of having a stroke, according to a new study out Monday that provided more support for diets rich in fruits and vegetables.