More than half of Brazil population middle class
Fifty-three percent of Brazil's population of 194 million is now middle class, as tens of millions of people are lifted out of poverty.
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.
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.
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.
Chaos turns Syria into paradise for kidnappers
Every time violence intensifies in Syria, so do abductions of civilians, for political reasons and more often for financial gain.
Obama raps Romney on 'victims' comment
Barack Obama said Tuesday presidents must represent all of America, not just their own core voters, capitalizing on Mitt Romney's gaffe that 47 percent of his countrymen were tax-dodging "victims."
Romney rocked by secret video
Mitt Romney was rocked Monday by a secretly filmed video in which he said nearly half of Americans back President Barack Obama because they are government-dependent "victims" who dodge taxes.
Job strain boosts risk of heart disease by 23 percent: study
Workers who suffer job strain are 23-percent more likely to have a heart attack than stress-free counterparts, but the risk is far smaller than smoking or a sedentary lifestyle.
US lawmakers question China organ transplants
US lawmakers called Wednesday for pressure on China to stop the use of organs from executed inmates, as experts charged that transplants had become a business that may target prisoners of conscience.
Tallest ever dog revealed in new Guinness Book of Records
A Great Dane who towers 2.2 metres (7 feet 4 inches) on his hind legs is named the tallest dog ever recorded in the latest Guinness Book of World Records launched on Thursday.
Hundreds jailed by 'fake' bomb detectors in Thai south
Implicated by the wand of a "bogus" bomb detector, Hassan became one of hundreds detained in Thailand's insurgency-racked south because of equipment that experts say is useless.
US faces 'utter defeat' in Afghanistan: Taliban
US forces face "utter defeat" in Afghanistan and Americans are unsafe wherever they go in the world, the Taliban said ahead of the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Ground Zero cancer victims to get compensation
About 50 types of cancer have been added to the list of diseases eligible for coverage in a compensation program for people who became sick after the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001.
At 9/11 memorial, a plea to remember US troops at war
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned Americans not to forget the troops who are fighting and dying in Afghanistan.
Americans more likely to see selves as lower class
More Americans -- including growing numbers of young people and whites -- see themselves as members of the lower classes, according to a study released Monday.
Asylum-seekers to live in tents in Nauru: Australia
Asylum-seekers sent to the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru will be forced initially to live in tents, Australia's Immigration Minister Chris Bowen confirmed Tuesday.
Christians, Muslims, Jews call for peace from Sarajevo
Leaders of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Muslim and Jewish communities Sunday made a pressing call for peace from Bosnia which was the scene of the worst atrocities committed in Europe since World War II.
One million people commit suicide each year: WHO
One million people die by their own hand each year, accounting for more deaths than wars and murders put together, the World Health Organisation said Friday, calling for urgent action to address the problem.
EU ministers explore fresh help to Syria opposition
EU foreign ministers gather in Cyprus some 100 kilometres from the Syrian coast Friday to explore how to best assist its opposition while defusing a humanitarian crisis looming in Europe's backyard.
'Tested and proven' Obama asks for second term
US President Barack Obama Thursday implored Americans to grant him a second term to complete his battered crusade for change, warning of the starkest election choice in a generation.