Thousands flee Malaysia floods
Floods triggered by torrential monsoon rains in Malaysia forced almost 14,000 people to flee their homes and seek shelter at relief centres.
Russia's brutal early winter claims 123 lives
A bitter cold snap in Russia has claimed 123 lives in the past 10 days, an official said Tuesday, with the early freeze testing authorities in a country used to notoriously tough winters.
In Xmas mass, Holy Land patriarch urges peace efforts
Addressing the faithful in his Christmas Eve midnight mass in Bethlehem on Tuesday, Latin Patriarch Fuad Twal urged "men of good will" to seek peace amid "the sufferings in the Middle East."
Christmas misery in Haiti camp, three years after quake
While people around the world celebrate the arrival of Christmas, residents of a refugee camp in Haiti say hunger and want will mark the holiday, like every other day of the year.
Media outnumber doomsayers in Turkish 'apocalypse haven'
As the village of Sirince waited for what some say is an apocalypse from which the tiny Turkish hamlet will be spared, its streets were teeming not with doomsayers but a hoard of disappointed journalists.
More doomsday sect arrests in China
China has detained more than 100 further members of a Christian sect accused of predicting doomsday, state media said Friday, taking the total held beyond 1,000 as officials denied cold weather was apocalypse-related.
Hunger, homelessness on rise in US: study
Hunger and homelessness are on the rise in the United States, and cash-strapped cities and social services are being forced to turn needy people away empty-handed.
US shooting fuels bullet-proof backpack sales
On the heels of the deadly shooting tragedy in Connecticut, parents' anxiety is driving a surge in sales of bullet-proof backpacks, in the hope the armored bags can give their kids a safety edge.
Love online challenges Pakistan taboos
Sania was just a schoolgirl when she logged onto an Internet chat room and met a young college student called Mohammad. They fell in love and decided to get married.
Earthlings head to nearest bunker, or bar, at 'world's end'
Diehard doomsayers will be scurrying to the nearest shelter in fear of a Mayan prophecy of the world's end Friday, but many more from Delhi to Sydney will ring in the date by partying like there's no tomorrow.
Christians most populous of world's religions: report
Christians are the world's biggest religious group, numbering some 2.2 billion people, according to a study released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
'How are my people?' Chavez asks post-surgery
Hugo Chavez's first words after emerging from surgery were "How are my (Venezuelan) people?" according to officials, who proclaimed here Friday that the ailing leader is on the road to recovery.
Alcohol causes a quarter of Europe road deaths
Alcohol abuse is responsible for around a quarter of the 30,000 people who die in road accidents across the European Union every year.
Many Americans see hint of Apocalypse in extreme weather
A third of Americans believe the intensity of recent natural disasters is linked to the Apocalypse described in the New Testament, according to a poll released Thursday.
Samoa cyclone kills two, knocks out power
The Pacific nation of Samoa faces up to two weeks without electricity, officials said Friday, after a cyclone that killed two people and sent hundreds fleeing to safety destroyed its main power station.
Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar dies, aged 92
Legendary Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, a major influence on Western musicians ranging from The Beatles to Yehudi Menuhin, has died at the age of 92.
New Yorkers live longer than other Americans: mayor
New Yorkers are living longers than Americans overall, and the margin is increasing, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday as he praised his administration's health policies.
December 21: End of Mayan calendar, or end of the world?
Gonzalo Alvarez, who had just arrived in Cancun for two weeks of revelry linked to a major milestone in the Mayan calendar, seemed reasonably cheerful for a man about to swallowed up by the Apocalypse.
Impoverished Greek families facing uncertain future
Blue-eyed Angelina had the misfortune of being born in Greece in 2010, just as the country became engulfed by an economic crisis that has deprived her parents, like so many Greeks.
Philippines typhoon toll tops 700, hundreds missing
The death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year has climbed above 700 with hundreds more missing, many of them tuna fishermen feared lost at sea.