Asia
Horses fight in bloody New Year battles
A GRUESOME tradition that pits stallions against each other in bloody fights is gaining popularity in the Year of the Horse. GRAPHIC IMAGES
North Korea creates super-strict internet for kids
NORTH Korean students at Kim Il Sung University surf the internet but the restricted offering is hidden from foreign eyes.
Jail for man who raped, married child
A MAN has been jailed for raping a 12-year-old girl whom he later married, as a ban on all child marriages was urged.
Taliban want Imran Khan on their team
THE Pakistani Taliban say they want four well-known politicians including ex-cricketer Imran Khan to represent them in talks with the government.
'No sign of life' after volcano eruption
AT LEAST 15 people have been killed in a volcanic eruption in Indonesia, with the only sign of life a phone ringing inside an abandoned bag.
Violence threatens Thai election
THAILAND is set for a turbulent election today, with opposition protesters vowing to besiege polling stations a day after gun battles erupted.
Volcano eruption engulfs schoolkids
FOURTEEN people, including four schoolchildren, were killed after they were engulfed in scorching ash clouds spat out by Indonesia's Mount Sinabung.
Komodo dragon dies at 'death zoo'
A THREE-YEAR-OLD komodo dragon has died at an Indonesian zoo infamous for scores of animal deaths.
Abbott: Lifeboat is 'rather arresting'
PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has described pictures of an "unsinkable" lifeboat aground in Indonesia as "rather arresting".
Lesbian's 'marriage bounty' withdrawn
A HONG Kong tycoon has withdrawn his $150 million "marriage bounty" to find his lesbian daughter a man after she wrote a heartfelt open letter.
Hundreds sue Fukushima plant makers
SOME 1400 people have filed a joint lawsuit against three companies that manufactured Japan's ruined Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.
N. Korean nuclear reactor 'restarted'
US intelligence says North Korea has followed through on its threat to advance its nuclear weapons program.
Flying aces collide in midair
THREE pilots from an aerobatic display team have escaped unharmed after their jet planes collided in midair.
Plan to ban Beijing's New Year bang
THE country that invented fireworks is considering banning them during Lunar New Year celebrations amid fears of adding to choking air pollution.
What the? A lavender coloured crab
A SHIPMENT of red king crabs contained a lurid surprise - a lavender coloured arthropod that a wholesaler has not seen in 25 years of work.
Shark slaughterhouse exposed in China
GRAPHIC photos show Chinese workers carving up whale sharks in what is being called the world's biggest slaughterhouse for the endangered species.
Meth offered as casually as tea in N Korea
METH has reportedly become one of North Korea’s favourite drugs, served to treat colds, boost energy levels, and as a polite treat for house guests.
Cops 'used wheel of torture for fun'
POLICE allegedly played a "wheel of torture" game to decide how suspects would be punished, including with brutal beatings.
People-smuggler jailed over fatal voyage
AN INDONESIAN court jailed a people-smuggler for seven years after an asylum boat he arranged sank on its way to Australia, killing 90 people.
Bird flu stops China poultry sales
AUTHORITIES in eastern China have banned live poultry sales after an increase in the number of people infected with the H7N9 strain of bird flu.
Advance New Zealand Fair
LORDE may have just owned the Grammys but there's another Kiwi chick tipped to become one of the world's most important people.
Boss ties bonuses to booze
ONE boss has surprised - and sickened - his employees by handing out bonuses based on who could drink him under the table.
Kids scarred by tsunami horrors
ONE in four nursery school children caught up in Japan's 2011 tsunami disaster has psychiatric problems caused by the horrors of loss.
Death sentence for 'nose job killer'
A COURT has sentenced to death a patient who fatally stabbed a doctor over what he considered a botched nose operation.
Factory collapse survivor 'kills self'
A SEAMSTRESS who was among those pulled alive from the rubble of a horrific Bangladesh factory collapse has died in a suspected suicide.
Aussie student 'raped' in Sri Lanka
AN Australian student has reportedly been raped on a beach by while on a study tour in Sri Lanka and the ANU is said to be investigating.
Car boss in hotel death plunge
THE British boss of India's biggest car maker has died after falling from the 22nd floor of a hotel in Bangkok.
Kim 'executes uncle's entire family'
NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered the execution of his uncle's biological relatives to "clamp down on mutiny".
Moon rover hit by 'abnormality'
CHINA'S Jade Rabbit moon rover has experienced a "mechanical control abnormality", in a setback for the landmark mission.
History and homes lost to fire
A FIRE has destroyed more than 100 homes in a Chinese village built three centuries ago, the third blaze to ravage a cultural site in weeks.
Jealous lover hurls grenade at wedding
A GRENADE was lobbed at wedding party, killing nine people and injuring 30 others, in an attack apparently carried out by a jealous lover.
Protest leader shot dead during speech
A THAI anti-government protest leader has been shot dead and others injured as demonstrators blocked advance voting for a snap election.
Egyptian rallies rocked by bombings
A SPATE of deadly bombings has put Egyptian police on edge as supporters and opponents of the military-installed government stage rival rallies.
Man arrested over mass food poisoning
JAPANESE police arrested a factory worker for allegedly poisoning frozen food with pesticides, in a case that sickened more than 2800 people.
'Anti-poor' banker moves to Perth
A BRITISH wealth adviser who set off a firestorm by publicly insulting 'poor' Singaporeans has "parted ways" with his former employer.
Java rattled by 6.1-magnitude quake
A 6.1-MAGNITUDE earthquake struck off Java on Saturday, flattening homes and sending panicked residents running onto the street.
Mentally ill Brit sentenced to death
A MENTALLY ill British man has been sentenced to death in Pakistan after being convicted of blasphemy charges.
North Korea resumes family reunions
NORTH Korea has resumed reunions for families separated since the Korean War, saying the program could help improve cross-border ties.
When will the sex crime horror end?
IT IS a horror story like no other. A woman gang-raped by 13 men for having an affair. This country's sex crime violence will shock you.
Indonesia 'not on a war footing'
INDONESIA says it's "not really" on a war footing with Australia despite reports warships have been deployed to the border.
3 boys shot dead in Thailand's south
5:40PM THAI police say a family had returned from a local mosque and was about to enter their house when gunmen shot three children dead.
China police get man accused of killing 6
5:24PM CHINESE police catch a man accused of killing two men he thought were having affairs with his wife, along with the men's wives, two boys and an old man.
Abuse charge for educator in YouTube case
4:55PM A US school administrator subject of a YouTube video seen nearly a million times could get life in prison on child abuse charges.
Google must move 'mystery' barge in SF
4:36PM PERMIT issues mean Google must move a floating, four-story building in the middle of San Francisco Bay following numerous complaints.
Another big winter storm hits US east
3:50PM SNOW is nearing 20cm in Philadelphia and New York as yet another round of freezing winter weather grips parts of the United States.
No role in lane closures: US governor
3:50PM DURING an hour-long radio call-in, possible 2016 US presidential candidate Chris Christie has reiterated that he had no role in contentious lane closures.
More than 400 dead dolphins in north Peru
3:33PM PERUVIAN authorities say autopsy results are expected in two weeks on more than 400 dolphins found dead on the country's northern beaches.
US murderer recaptured after manhunt
3:18PM MICHAEL David Elliot, who escaped while serving life sentences at a US prison for the 1993 murders of four people, has been recaptured.
Police 'scared' fans at Hillsborough
12:23PM A NEW investigation into the Hillsborough tragedy, which killed 96 Liverpool fans in 1989, has uncovered a mass of doctored statements given by UK police.
A croc may be on the loose in the UK
12:23PM POLICE in southwest England are on the alert after a bus driver reported spotting a 1.8m crocodile under a bridge in Bristol.
US skydiving survivor walks again
12:23PM A 16-YEAR-OLD girl who plummeted more than 900m when her parachute failed to open correctly will be in hospital a while longer but should recover fully.
Strong 6.1 quake off eastern Indonesia
11:40AM THE US Geological Survey says a magnitude-6.1 earthquake has hit 318 kilometres east of Dili, East Timor.
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