Ex-rebels attack Libya's Bani Walid, 11 killed: local sources
At least eleven Libyans were killed and scores wounded in clashes on Wednesday when ex-rebels linked to the army attacked Bani Walid, a former bastion of dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
Aussie sailor tells of monster wave that rolled yacht
An Australian yachtsman was reunited with his family Thursday following a dramatic rescue after a massive wave picked up his boat and rolled it over, hundreds of kilometres off the coast.
Fear of famine stalks Sudan's South Kordofan
Hundreds of thousands of people in Sudan's conflict-torn state of South Kordofan are on the brink of famine as Khartoum keeps up a blockade on aid agencies.
Cuba eases despised foreign travel restrictions
Cubans will no longer need an exit permit to travel abroad from January, the communist regime said on Tuesday, in a major overhaul of a half-century-old policy despised by the island's citizens.
Brazil eyeing public service quotas for blacks
President Dilma Rousseff wants to introduce public service quotas for black Brazilians as a way to repay a historic debt for centuries of slavery and discrimination.
Kids quiz White House hopefuls, but Romney's a no-show
President Barack Obama wooed Americans not yet old enough to vote Monday in a unique children's television news special that his rival Mitt Romney opted to avoid.
Haiti protesters call for president's resignation
Several hundred protesters angry over rising costs of living called Sunday for Haitian President Martin Martelly to resign at a march in the country's capital.
Almaty got a just married installation
An installation for newlyweds has been placed on the Republic Square in Almaty; the opening ceremony was held in Almaly shopping mall.
Australia defends refugee policy after boat surge
Canberra insisted on Monday that a new deterrent policy of locking up refugees on remote Pacific islands was working despite a weekend surge in arrivals and self-harm attempts among detainees.
Ten years on, Bali remembers bomb dead
Hundreds of survivors and relatives of the dead on Friday paid tearful tributes to the 202 people killed in the Bali bombings 10 years ago, when Islamist extremists unleashed terror on partying tourists.
Unemployment 30 mn higher than before crisis: ILO
There are now 30 million more people without jobs around the world than before the global financial crisis began, the head of the International Labour Organization said.
UN report warns of possible rise in child marriages
The number of girls who marry before their 18th birthday could increase dramatically over the next two decades, a new UN report warned Thursday.
Three-quarters of African countries face food insecurity: report
Three-quarters of African countries and several "Arab Spring" nations are at high or extreme risk of a food crisis, according to an analysis published on Wednesday.
Syrian rebel strongholds pounded, 23 killed: watchdog
A string of rebel strongholds, including in Daraa and Homs provinces and the commercial capital Aleppo, were rocked by shelling and clashes from dawn on Monday that left at least 23 people dead.
A gender-neutral pronoun makes waves in Sweden
Sweden's tradition of gender equality has famously put more mums in the workplace while rising numbers of dads stay at home.
Contaminated drug linked to deadly US meningitis outbreak
A contaminated drug has been linked to a deadly outbreak of meningitis that has claimed the lives of at least five people and sickened 42 others in seven US states.
Tresses to treasure for Vietnamese hair trader
Hailed as a hero in his native Vietnamese village, Do Van Thu has become rich and transformed the lives of hundreds of families through the sale of a precious and unorthodox crop -- hair.
All 18 children dead in China landslide: state media
All 18 school children who were buried when a landslide engulfed their primary school in remote and mountainous southwestern China have died.
Battling time and protests, Putin turns 60
Russian President Vladimir Putin hits retirement age on Sunday but he appears determined to prove that 60 is the new 40.
Taiwan expects tourist boost to US with visa waiver
Taiwanese officials said Wednesday that visitors to the United States are estimated to increase by 50 percent now that the island has been added to the US visa waiver programme.