Activists seek ban on 'cruel' bullfights in France
France's top constitutional body will decide Friday on a request by animal-rights activists to ban bullfighting, defended in the south as an important tradition and key source of tourist revenue.
Kazakhstan steps up control over Czech and Polish liquors
Kazakhstan has followed other countries in enhancement of control over import of liquors from the Czech Republic and Poland.
French in the firing line after prophet cartoons
Tens of thousands of French expatriates in Muslim countries face a nervous weekend amid fears they could be swept up in a rising tide of anger over controversial depictions of Mohammed.
Lennon widow Ono to give peace award to Pussy Riot
Yoko Ono, the artist and widow of Beatles musician and songwriter John Lennon, will bestow a peace award in the couple's name to Pussy Riot, the Russian punk rockers.
Railroad freights from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan to resume on September 21
The only railroad station Maimak in Talas oblast used for rail freight shipments between Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan will resume work on Friday.
Shakira, footballer Gerard Pique expecting first child
Colombian pop star Shakira confirmed Wednesday that she is pregnant with top Spanish football player Gerard Pique's baby, their first.
Clinton denies any advance warning of Libya attack
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denied that Washington was warned of an imminent attack in Libya, stressing the United States would not rest until those behind the killings of four Americans are brought to justice.
iPhone 5 frenzy builds ahead of Friday release
Gadget lovers have flooded Apple with pre-orders and set up camp outside the company's real-world stores to get their hands on the new generation iPhone 5 set for release Friday.
Revealed: How sea lions make mega-dives
Scientists in California have shed light on a marine mystery: how diving mammals can hunt for food at great depths without getting the "bends".
Beijing seeks to balance anger and control: analysts
A sudden decline in anti-Japan protests in China reflects the government's need to tread carefully between harnessing nationalist zeal and letting popular fury spiral out of control.
S.Africa Lonmin miners end strike, accept pay raise
Lonmin platinum mine workers in South Africa on Tuesday ended their strike in return for pay rises of up to 22 percent, after a nearly six-week standoff that claimed 45 lives.
Cuban hunger strikers cry victory after prisoner freed
Dissident Martha Beatriz Roque called it "a victory for the Cuban people ... and democracy" when the communist government bowed to the demands of hunger strikers Tuesday and freed a political prisoner.
Germany wrestles with ban on anti-Islam film screening
German politicians and Muslim groups are agonising over whether to ban a small far-right group from screening in public an anti-Islam film that has sparked violent protests from Pakistan to Sudan.
Nazarbayev and Hollande agreed on mutual high-level visits
Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev had a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Francois Hollande on September 17.
President Nazarbayev suggests launching Baikonur Innovation Fund in partnership with Russia
According to him, it is important to think of modernization of the Baikonur town.
Isolated Belarus elects parliament amid boycott
Belarus will on Sunday elect a new parliament in polls largely boycotted by the opposition, almost two years after protests against President Alexander Lukashenko's re-election sparked a mass crackdown.
Arizona police start enforcing new immigration law
Police in Arizona can now start asking crime suspects about their immigration status, as a contested law that raised fears of profiling of Hispanics took effect in a state bordering Mexico.
Syrian regime plans to use chemical weapons: report
The Syrian regime plans to deploy chemical weapons against its own people "as a last resort", the former head of Syria's chemical arsenal told The Times newspaper in an interview published Wednesday.
National icon keeps campaign guessing ahead of Ghana polls
The military shooting range along a windswept beach appears desolate and unassuming, but it is home to a controversial piece of history for Ghana and its former president Jerry Rawlings.
Anger as Australian senator links gay marriage to bestiality
A conservative Australian senator was forced to resign from his parliamentary role on Wednesday after he linked same-sex marriage to bestiality and polygamy during a debate.
