World to welcome in New Year with a bang
Sydney will Monday kick off a wave of dazzling firework displays welcoming in 2013 from Dubai to Paris and London, with long-isolated Yangon joining the global pyrotechnics for the first time.
Hillary Clinton hospitalized with blood clot: official
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been hospitalized after suffering a blood clot following an accident earlier this month.
Spain faces 207-bn-euro headache in 2013
Spain defied the markets by averting a sovereign bailout this year but high interest rates could yet force Madrid to its knees as the nation confronts a 207-billion-euro ($274 billion) financing headache in 2013.
Vatican backs Monti, the anti-Berlusconi
The Vatican has thrown its weight behind outgoing prime minister Mario Monti, ditching the scandal-hit Silvio Berlusconi in favour of a practising Catholic they hope may lead Italy after February's general election.
Bomb hits prosecutor's office in Libya's Benghazi Origin: Libya
An improvised bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the public prosecutor in the Libyan city of Benghazi causing material damage but no fatalities.
Brazil, Mexico have most Latin American billionaires
Brazil and Mexico have the most billionaires in Latin America but earn the least from estate taxes, according to a new study from a regional economic group.
Defectors say Syrian state journalists 'kill with words'
Lama al-Khadra summed up her work for Radio Damascus with a grim phrase: "Our mission was to kill with words."
Talks stall as fiscal cliff looms
Two days of last-gasp talks produced no deal Sunday between US political leaders struggling to averting a fiscal calamity due to hit the American and world economy within hours.
Dried squash holds headless French king's blood: study
Two centuries after the French people beheaded Louis XVI and dipped their handkerchiefs in his blood, scientists believe they have authenticated the remains of one such rag kept as a revolutionary souvenir.
China law says family members should visit elderly relatives
China has passed a new law stipulating that family members should pay regular visits to their elderly relatives, according to the government's official website.
9 dead after bus careens into Oregon ravine
A Canada-bound bus crashed through a guard rail on an icy road in Oregon on Sunday and careened into a ravine, killing at least nine people and injuring at least 26 others.
Merkel steels Germans for 'more difficult' 2013
Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Germans that the economy, Europe's biggest, would experience a harder time next year than in 2012 and cautioned too that the eurozone debt crisis was far from over.
US backs Argentina in debt restructring case
The US gave strong support to Argentina on Friday in the Latin American country's legal battle with hedge funds over the repayment of $1.3 billion to holders of defaulted bonds.
Canada strips citizenship of alleged Nazi war criminal
Canada has stripped citizenship from a Ukrainian-born man it is seeking to deport for alleged ties to a Nazi killing squad in World War II.
Obama signs law against Iran's influence in Latin America
President Barack Obama enacted a law Friday to counter Iran's alleged influence in Latin America, through a new diplomatic and political strategy to be designed by the State Department.
Senate renews warrantless surveillance act
The Senate approved a five-year extension Friday of a George W. Bush-era surveillance law that allows US spy agencies to conduct wiretapping on foreign citizens without a warrant.
Obama 'modestly optimistic' for fiscal deal
President Barack Obama said Friday he was "modestly optimistic" a last-minute deal was possible with Republicans to avert a "fiscal cliff" crisis that could spark a recession and rock global markets.
Tour de France champ Wiggins knighted in New Year honours
Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins led a parade of Olympic champions whose achievements in a remarkable summer of sport in Britain were recognised in the New Year Honours list on Saturday.
Apple to drop patent claims against Samsung phone
Apple has agreed to drop its patent claims against Samsung's Galaxy S III Mini after the South Korean rival said it would not sell the gadget in the United States.
British girl missing for three years in Pakistan comes home
A six-year-old girl flew back to Britain for an emotional reunion with her mother on Friday more than three years after she was abducted by her father and taken to Pakistan.
