French Revolution's 'monster' gets modern diagnosisDepending on what you read, Maximilien de Robespierre was a defender of the poor and downtrodden -- "the Incorruptible" who defended the values of the French Revolution to the end.
Six countries sign US pacts in fight against tax fraudThe United States has signed anti-tax fraud pacts with six countries and territories including some considered tax havens, the US Treasury Department said Thursday.
20 December 2013
2,000 extra steps a day cuts cardiovascular risk by 8 percentPeople with a glucose-tolerance problem -- a driver of diabetes and cardiovascular disease -- can cut the risk of heart attack or stroke by simply walking an additional 2,000 steps per day, a study said on Friday.
20 December 2013
Scores hurt in London theatre collapseThe ceiling of a packed London theatre collapsed on the audience during a hit show on Thursday, wounding 76 people including children and leaving terrified theatregoers covered in blood and rubble.
Hollande hopes Poland to join French troops in CARFrench President Francois Hollande said he expected Poland to announce Friday that it would provide military backing for France's troops in the Central African Republic.
20 December 2013
China to build two new Antarctic bases: state mediaChinese workers are on their way to build the country's fourth Antarctic research base and a fifth is being planned, state-run media said Thursday as the country expands its imprint on the icy continent.
20 December 2013
Spaniards bet on slimmed-down 'Fat One' Christmas jackpotSpaniards are digging into their pockets to gamble on their beloved "Fat One" Christmas lottery with the world's richest total payout, but winners will get slimmed-down prizes this year as a new austerity tax takes a bite.
20 December 2013
EU finance ministers reach banking union dealEU finance ministers Wednesday reached a banking union accord which will hand Brussels unprecedented new powers to prevent failing banks from wrecking the economy, official sources said.
19 December 2013
Once-stolen Stradivarius sells for £1.3 millionA rare Stradivarius violin, which was once stolen and offered for just £100 ($162, 118 euros) by thieves, sold at auction in Britain on Wednesday for £1.3 million ($2.3 million, 1.6 million euros).
Nearly 1,000 killed by ex-rebels in C. Africa capital: AmnestyThe Central African Republic's mostly Muslim ex-rebels killed nearly 1,000 people in the capital Bangui two weeks ago in a rampage avenging deadly Christian militia attacks, Amnesty International said in a report Thursday.
19 December 2013
Museum takes possession of long-lost Nazi diaryThe US Holocaust Memorial Museum took possession Tuesday of a Nazi war criminal's long-lost diary and posted it online to help researchers decipher the thinking behind Adolf Hitler's "final solution."
19 December 2013
Russian missile deployment raises alarmWashington has joined Russia's neighbours in voicing alarm after Moscow revealed it had moved nuclear-capable Iskander missiles closer to EU borders in response to the US-led deployment of a disputed air defence shield.