'Fifty Shades' rape case dismissed in New Zealand
A New Zealand man has been cleared of raping his estranged wife while pretending to be her young lover in a case partially inspired by the novel "Fifty Shades of Grey".
Philippine typhoon survivors turn cave-dwellers
Victims who survived the Philippines' super typhoon by huddling in a cave as a tsunami-like wave obliterated their community have now made it their home -- reduced to Stone Age conditions with nowhere else to go.
Czech party leader haunted by ghosts of communist past
Unwelcome spectres are coming back to haunt Czech billionaire Andrej Babis, who emerged as a power broker in recent elections but is facing allegations he collaborated with the communist-era secret police.
China one-child law change small but crucial: experts
Beijing's relaxation of its hugely controversial one-child policy is an attention-grabbing first step, but it will have to usher in greater changes if China is to tackle its looming demographic timebomb, experts say.
China cake millionaire at home in his six castles
As the greatest urbanisation drive in history swells China's cities with ranks of identikit apartment blocks, one culinary businessman is indulging his architectural appetite with a visual feast of extravagant, outlandish castles.
CIA spying on Americans' financial data: report
The Central Intelligence Agency is amassing a huge database of international money transfers that includes the financial and personal data of millions of Americans, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Britain's oldest resident dies aged 113
Britain's oldest resident died on Thursday just a few weeks short of her 114th birthday.
Anger in New Zealand at 'close your legs' rape defence
Victims' rights advocates in New Zealand on Thursday condemned a defence lawyer who told a rape victim she should have "closed her legs" if she wanted to avoid having sex.
Young Frenchman too heavy to fly will go home by ship
A young Frenchman who weighs 230 kilograms (500 pounds) and was deemed too heavy to fly on a jetliner arrived in New York Tuesday to head home by ship.