Japan on highest typhoon alert, 480,000 urged to take shelter
Japan braced Tuesday for one of its worst storms in years as typhoon Neoguri barrelled towards the southern Okinawa island chain, with the national weather agency issuing its highest alert and nearly half-a-million people urged to take shelter.
Grand fireworks on Astana Day
Fireworks will go off from three locations in Astana today, July 6, to celebrate the 16th anniversary of Astana.
06 July 2014
Billionaire conservative donor Richard Mellon Scaife dies, 82
Richard Mellon Scaife, a generous donor to US conservative causes and heir to a sizeable banking fortune, died according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, a newspaper that he owned. He was 82.
05 July 2014
US eaters weigh in for New York dog chowing contest
American world-record holders and pretenders to the crown of hot-dog chomper of the year weighed in for the hugely popular annual July 4 Coney Island competition set to draw thousands.
04 July 2014
Pastor of state church 'sentenced to 12 years' in China
A pastor of a state-sanctioned church in China has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, his lawyer and an overseas rights group said, accusing authorities of "fabricated charges".
A dying business: family graves in Japan
Every once in a while, Kumiko Kano meets a group of people with whom she has decided to spend eternity, one of a growing number in Japan who are shunning the expense and commitment of a traditional family grave.
French theme park recreates 'Little Prince' universe
A theme park inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupery's timeless classic "The Little Prince" opened this week in France, giving visitors a chance to recall the author's claim that "all grown-ups were children first".
US-based scientist makes potent version of H1N1 flu
A US-based Japanese scientist said he has succeeded in engineering a version of the so-called swine flu virus that would be able to evade the human immune system.
03 July 2014
Indian minister calls for Goa beach bikini ban
A minister in India's resort state of Goa has drawn ridicule by saying women in bikinis should be banned from beaches and girls in short dresses should not visit pubs.
03 July 2014
Caribbean corals could vanish over next 20 years: report
Caribbean coral reefs could disappear within 20 years as overfishing has all but wiped out the fish that feast on coral-smothering algae, the UN and an international conservation watchdog warned.