Australia abolishes divisive carbon tax
Australia axed a divisive carbon tax after years of vexed political debate, handing the government a key victory after it went to the polls last year vowing the levy would go.
17 July 2014
Prize-winning reporter freed after being held at US border
Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and activist Jose Antonio Vargas, who revealed in 2011 that he is an undocumented immigrant, was freed by US border agents after being held for several hours.
BRICS create development bank, 'mini-IMF'
The BRICS group of emerging powers created a Shanghai-based development bank and a reserve fund seen as alternatives to Western-led institutions.
Cambodian police fire tear gas to break up protest clashes
Cambodian police Tuesday fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators demanding authorities reopen the country's main protest venue, as clashes left at least 30 people injured, rights groups said.
15 July 2014
Ukrainian plane hit by missile, say villagers on Russia border
Two men lean on the smouldering wreckage of a Ukrainian airforce plane. They poke among the debris, looking for anything of value. Using an iron bar, one of them moves a Kalashnikov rifle to reveal what appears to be a charred human limb.
Japan PM Abe calls for talks with China's Xi at APEC
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday called for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a regional meeting in Beijing in November, the latest call from Tokyo for a face-to-face meeting amid testy diplomatic relations.
14 July 2014
Kerry hunkering down for Iran nuclear talks
US Secretary of State John Kerry was to meet again Monday with his Iranian counterpart seeking to narrow serious gaps blocking a historic nuclear deal with a deadline just days away.
Cuba cracks down, arrests 100 women dissidents
Cuban authorities arrested an unusually large group of about 100 dissident marchers, breaking up a march by the Ladies in White opposition activists.
14 July 2014
Putin, Kirchner seek 'multipolarity' in Argentina visit
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Argentine counterpart Cristina Kirchner called for a multipolar world order as Moscow sought to boost ties with Latin America amid heightened East-West tensions.
Rakhat Aliyev extradition unlikely: expert
Extradition of Rakhat Aliyev to Kazakhstan is extremely unlikely according to the Deputy Chairman of Birlik political party and former Commissioner for Human Rights in Kazakhstan Bolat Baikadamov.