Asylum-seekers 'force' Singapore ship to Australia A boatload of asylum-seekers picked up by a Singaporean merchant vessel after a distress call were Thursday accused of acting like pirates after forcing the captain to take them to Australia.
16 August 2012
US migrants sign up to Obama deportation deferral Long lines of undocumented immigrants sprang up across the US on Wednesday as thousands took advantage of President Barack Obama's decision to grant many of them temporary residency.
16 August 2012
Eurozone fears shadow Merkel's arrival in Canada German leader Angela Merkel held talks Wednesday with her Canadian counterpart on a first-ever bilateral visit shadowed by eurozone fears and Ottawa's refusal to wade into relief efforts.
16 August 2012
Asia eyes Brazil's growing consumer market With Europe and the US in the economic doldrums, Asian manufacturers are setting their sights on Brazil's lucrative consumer market ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
16 August 2012
Australia says no plan for total smoking ban Australia said Thursday it has no plans to ban smoking after a key court ruling allowing cigarettes to be sold in plain packets, describing the health battle against tobacco as "one step at a time."
World Muslim body suspends Syria's membership The 57-member OIC suspended Syria in a meeting attended by its staunch ally Iran, in a move hailed early Thursday by the United States as one that sends "a strong message" to Damascus.
16 August 2012
Accused Nazi war criminal free to stay in Australia A 90-year-old man accused of being a Nazi war criminal on Wednesday won his fight to stay in Australia, after the High Court blocked his extradition to Hungary.
US reality TV show accused of trivializing war An NBC television reality show featuring US celebrities competing in quasi-military drills is coming under fire from Nobel laureates and other critics who say the idea trivializes a deadly serious subject.
Students occupy Chile schools in call for reforms Students demanding education reform briefly occupied two schools in the Chilean capital Monday, the latest move aimed at drawing attention to their cause.
16 August 2012
Asian economies most at risk from natural disasters Asian countries dominate a league table of economies most at risk from earthquakes, floods, storms and other natural hazards, according to research published on Wednesday.
16 August 2012
World Muslim body to suspend Syria An emergency summit of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) began late Tuesday with a proposal to suspend conflict-wracked Syria, a move strongly opposed by Iran.
16 August 2012
No decision yet on Assange asylum, Ecuador says Ecuador's President Rafael Correa on Tuesday denied a British media report that his country had granted asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.