One dead as cyclone skims France's Reunion island
One person died and 15 were injured after a cyclone packing winds of 150 kilometres (95 miles) an hour brushed by the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, officials said Friday.
Panama president warns Spain and Italy over canal row
Panama's president warned Thursday he would visit Europe to force a consortium to drop a threat to suspend expansion work on the Panama Canal, as a row over a $1.6 billion cost overrun escalated.
Thatcher's hairdo was high-maintenance
Margaret Thatcher's immaculate hairdo took intensive efforts to perfect, with the late British prime minister having her bouffant reworked every three days on average, records showed Friday.
Dollar gains on euro as new year opens
The dollar rose against the euro Thursday as investors pushed back into the greenback and sent US bond yields lower.
Prince William goes back to college
Britain's Prince William is to become a full-time student of agricultural management for 10 weeks as he forges a life after the military, the royal family announced on Monday.
Children beheaded in C.Africa fighting: UNICEF
At least two children have been beheaded in the fighting which has gripped the Central African Republic, the UN agency for children said Monday, adding "unprecedented" levels of violence were being committed against youngsters.
Russia buries dead as bombings toll hits 33
Russia beefed up security and mourned its dead on Tuesday as the toll from jarring successive-day suicide strikes in the run-up to the Sochi Winter Olympic Games rose to 33.
Royal baby birth doctor knighted, Beckham snubbed
The gynaecologist who helped deliver the first child of Prince William and his wife Kate was given a knighthood and veteran actress Angela Lansbury was made a dame in Britain's New Year Honours List released Tuesday.
Hollande tackles Middle Eastern crises on Saudi visit
French President Francois Hollande and Saudi King Abdullah on Sunday held talks on escalating tensions in the Middle East, with a focus on Lebanon and Syria, during a visit also aimed at boosting commercial ties.
Greece eyes return to bond markets in 2nd half of 2014
Bailed-out Greece is hoping to return to bond markets in the second half of 2014 -- but only if growth and a primary budget surplus permits, its finance minister said Sunday.
Huge crowds hold Madrid mass after new abortion law
Tens of thousands of Roman Catholics joined in an open-air mass in central Madrid on Sunday to celebrate the Holy Family, just days after the Spanish government agreed to tighten the abortion law.
Top French court approves 75% company tax on high salaries
France's top court Sunday approved a proposal for companies to pay 75 percent tax on annual salaries exceeding one million euros in line with President Francois Hollande's drive to limit executive pay at a time of economic hardship.
'I'm not anti-Semite,' French footballer Anelka says amid row
French footballer Nicolas Anelka on Sunday strongly defended a controversial gesture he made during a weekend match, saying "I am neither anti-Semite nor racist", even as British football authorities mulled possible punishment.
Final amnestied foreign Greenpeace activist leaves Russia
The last of the 26 foreign Greenpeace activists who were detained after an Arctic protest flew out of Russia on Sunday, the group announced, finally ending a saga that had caused global concern.
Alma Shalabayeva and her daughter on their way to Italy
Alma Shalabayeva, the wife of Kazakhstan's fugitive banker Mukhtar Ablyazov, and her daughter Alua have left Kazakhstan for Italy.
Sherlock Holmes is free, US judge rules
The beloved British detective Sherlock Holmes is now free to be reimagined in the United States after a federal judge ruled that licensing fees are no longer required.
Golovkin loses to Stevens in Breakthrough HBO Fighter
To the disappointment of Gennady Golovkin’s fans, the Kazakh boxer has lost to Canadian Adonis Stevenson in the Breakthrough HBO Fighter.
German growers push into craft beer market with new hops
In a microbrewery in a trendy Berlin neighbourhood, Thorsten Schoppe, one of a wave of beer-makers using new German ingredients to create non-traditional brews, pours hop pellets into a copper vat.
Fireworks but no joy as Latvia joins eurozone
Fireworks will light up the skies above Riga when Latvia adopts the euro on January 1, but on the ground the feeling will be far from festive among those fearing the impact of the switch.
Britain to become Europe's biggest economy by 2030: report
Britain will surpass France and Germany to become Europe's biggest economy by 2030, according to a study released on Thursday.