One of the systems keeping spent atomic fuel cool at the Fukushima nuclear plant temporarily failed on Friday, the second outage in a matter of weeks, underlining the precarious fix at the plant.
Shanghai's live poultry markets were shut on Saturday after authorities banned trading in birds to prevent the spread of H7N9 bird flu, which has killed six people in China.
Most Americans say that the United States should support ally South Korea if it is attacked by the North amid soaring tensions on the divided peninsula,.
New Zealand troops began their withdrawal from Afghanistan Friday, with the lowering of the flag for the last time at their base in Bamiyan to mark the end of a 10-year involvement in the war.
The United States said it was taking "all necessary precautions" after North Korea rang fresh alarms in an escalating crisis by moving a medium-range missile Thursday to its east coast.
Scientists in Japan said Friday they had found a way to "read" people's dreams, using MRI scanners to unlock some of the secrets of the unconscious mind.
US health authorities said Thursday they are liaising with domestic and international partners to develop a vaccine for the H7N9 bird flu virus that has killed five people in China.
Much like his father Kim Jong-Il, North Korea's new young leader Kim Jong-Un is viewed by much of the outside world with a heady mix of incomprehension, ridicule and fear.
At least 27 people were crushed to death on the outskirts of Mumbai after a building collapsed while under construction, with many victims believed to be labourers living at the site.
North Korea threatened Thursday to pull its 53,000 workers from the Kaesong joint industrial zone with South Korea and close the complex, a day after it blocked access for South Korean personnel.
Global energy giant Shell announced Thursday it was selling its last remaining Australian refinery to focus on more sizeable assets abroad, a move that threatens 470 jobs.
The United States vowed to defend itself and its regional allies Tuesday after North Korea again stepped up its warlike rhetoric and the UN warned that the crisis could spin out of control.
North Korea blocked South Korean access to a key joint industrial zone Wednesday, matching its angry rhetoric with action as Washington condemned Pyongyang's "dangerous, reckless" behaviour.
The UN General Assembly on Tuesday passed the first treaty regulating the conventional arms trade in an attempt to bring transparency and protection of human rights to the often murky industry.