Rage and sorrow as Mexico student declared dead
Ezequiel Mora wanted to know only one thing: Was his son Alexander, a 19-year-old who had sought escape from the farming life to become a teacher, dead or not?
Top world stories
Nowhere to turn for 15-year-old asylum seeker
![Sardar "Sammy" Hussein in Jakarta.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/f/b/a/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122d6q.102nzy.png/1417998123661.jpg)
Michael Bachelard 2:37 PM "What should I do? What should I do?" For Sardar "Sammy" Hussein, barely more than a boy, the words he's whispering under his breath have become almost a mantra.
What it's like to be released from Guantanamo
![The exterior of Camp Delta, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/6/o/h/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122cld.102nzy.png/1418027009734.jpg)
Nick O'Malley 7:23 PM The release of detainees from the United States prison at Guantanamo Bay has become a common enough occurrence this year that the process runs predictably predictably and smoothly.
Hagupit threatens major flooding of Manila
![Residents walk past high waves brought about by strong winds as it pound the seawall, hours before Typhoon Hagupit passes near the city of Legazpi.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/e/i/p/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122el8.102nzy.png/1417996647206.jpg)
Lindsay Murdoch 1:53 PM Slow-moving Typhoon Hagupit has weakened as it churns across the central Philippines islands but could still bring severe flooding to the low-lying capital Manila.
Latest world news
Massive fire closes freeways in downtown Los Angeles
![The fire in downtown Los Angeles.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/w/r/m/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122w9v.png/1418044343267.jpg)
12:12 AM A massive fire at an apartment complex has shut down parts of freeways in downtown Los Angeles.
North Korea applauds cyber-attack on Sony
![Sony's movie <i>The Interview</i> has annoyed North Korea.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/n/g/v/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122hjl.png/1418015394700.jpg)
Anna Fifield 12:10 AM North Korea has denied hacking Sony Pictures' computer systems in retaliation for its movie The Interview, but has called the crippling cyber-attack a "righteous deed".
Uber banned in New Delhi as driver is accused of rape
![Uber](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/w/2/p/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122vz4.png/1418042002509.jpg)
11:33 PM Uber, the US online ride-hailing service, has been banned from operating in the Indian capital of New Delhi with immediate effect after a young female passenger was allegedly raped by one if its drivers.
South African court acquits Shrien Dewani in murder trial
![ACQUITTED: Shrien Dewani was found not guilty of murder.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/w/j/7/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122wf5.png/1418040919883.jpg)
10:24 PM A South African court acquitted Briton Shrien Dewani on Monday, clearing him of charges he paid hitmen to kill his wife while on honeymoon in Cape Town four years ago.
Indonesian military and police fire into crowd of West Papuan civilians, killing 5
![Activists scuffle with police during a rally marking the 53rd anniversary of the Free Papua Movement in Jakarta on December 1.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/w/i/i/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122wf0.png/1418037608595.jpg)
Michael Bachelard 10:20 PM Local sources say the crowd was protesting after Indonesian soldiers beat a 12-year-old boy, but Indonesia says that story is a fabrication, and the crowd 'ran amok'.
Canada closes Cairo embassy over security concerns
![Riot police stand with their shields as members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/w/d/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122wa5.png/1418036233539.jpg)
9:57 PM The Canadian embassy in Cairo was closed on Monday until further notice because of security concerns, an official answering its emergency telephone line said.
Philippines capital braces for storm, as Hagupit leaves 21 dead
![A man pushes his motorcycle along floodwaters bought by Typhoon Hagupit in Camarines Sur province.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/u/s/o/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122vhw.png/1418026545254.jpg)
Rosemarie Francisco and Manuel Mogato 8:05 PM The death toll from Typhoon Hagupit rose to 21 on Monday, the Philippine Red Cross said, after the storm tore through the country's central islands flattening homes and toppling trees and power lines.
Myanmar men plead not guilty to murder of British tourists
![Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, British tourists killed in Thailand.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/0/i/d/e/3/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122uh7.png/1418025304437.jpg)
Amy Sawitta Lefevre 6:55 PM Two Myanmar workers have pleaded not guilty to charges including murder over the killing of two British tourists in Thailand, their lawyer said on Monday, in a case that has hit tourism and attracted widespread criticism.
An Ebola doctor's return from the edge of death
![Dr Ian Crozier.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/t/s/r/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122tuu.png/1418024974176.jpg)
Denise Grady 6:43 PM The medical record, from an Ebola case, made for grim reading, but Dr Ian Crozier could not put it down. It was his own.
Obama maintains measured approach on race
![Message: President Obama has told young activists that "better is good" when it comes to race relations.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/m/g/m/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122hij.png/1418019155639.jpg)
David Nakamura 5:12 PM The US president is urging patience and resolve in the wake of new protests in New York and elsewhere.
Israel conducts airstrikes in Syria
![Bunkered down: Life goes on for this Damascus tailor despite the war on the streets outside.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/7/h/h/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.1227dv.png/1418012802877.jpg)
Liz Sly 3:26 PM Israeli warplanes have bombed targets in territory held by the Syrian government near Damascus, underscoring the deepening complexity of the war raging on multiple fronts in Syria and beyond.
NZ cruise tourists struck with gastro
![The Dawn Princess.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/k/j/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122kgx.png/1418014066276.jpg)
2:07 PM Almost 200 cruise ship passengers on a tour of New Zealand have come down with a stomach bug.
Democrats bow out of the deep south
![Victorious Republican Bill Cassidy: He focused his campaign on attacking Barack Obama.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/g/6/r/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122dcx.png/1418001425971.jpg)
Richard Fausset 12:17 PM The last deep south Democrat in the US Senate, Mary Landrieu, has been defeated in a run-off election.
South African hostage Pierre Korkie killed on cusp of release
![Hope turned to horror for the family of Pierre Korkie.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/d/n/h/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122dlc.png/1418003380274.jpg)
Lynsey Chutel 12:11 PM Pierre Korkie was supposed to be released Sunday from 18 months of captivity in Yemen, under a deal struck by an aid group.
Taiwan a canary in the coalmine of cyber warfare
![hacker](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/h/4/k/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.120v73.png/1418013331713.jpg)
Chris Zappone 12:09 PM So hacked are Taiwan's computers that some government employees are issued with two - one connected to the internet, and a second that remains offline for security reasons.
Scottish independence champion plans yet another comeback
![Alex Salmond, former Scottish first minister, wants to contest a seat in north-east Scotland.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/f/1/g/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122bzr.png/1418000448336.jpg)
Stephen Castle 12:00 PM Alex Salmond, Scotland's former first minister and a champion of Scottish independence, said on Sunday that he would seek election to the British Parliament in May.
Taiwan suspicious of Chinese visit
![Entrepreneur: Jack Ma, chairman of the Alibaba Group, is part of a Chinese delegation visiting Taiwan.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/c/9/a/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122bmx.png/1417993260890.jpg)
J. R. Wu 10:01 AM Chinese officials and business leaders visiting Taiwan this week can expect a lukewarm welcome at best, with the resurgence of the pro-independence opposition casting further doubt on deals already slowed by public suspicion of closer ties with Beijing.
Peru climate change talks slowed by clashes of rich and poor nations
![Activists and indigenous people make a formation, reading "peoples rights, living forests", to mark climate talks in Peru.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/a/n/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.122afm.png/1417988625173.jpg)
Neela Banerjee 8:43 AM International climate talks in Lima, Peru, are entering their final week, with few hints of whether a newfound optimism that marked the start of negotiations will translate into an agreement that would rein in climate change.
Fifth day of protests against police violence
![Don't shoot: Demonstrator Maryam Said raises her painted hands during a protest against a grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/8/9/r/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.12285w.png/1417980617424.jpg)
Sebastien Malo and Emmett Berg 8:00 AM A fifth day of nationwide protests against police violence was set to begin on Sunday after overnight clashes in two West Coast cities as New York's police commissioner said an internal investigation into a chokehold death could last four months.
Dozens of migrants drown off coast of Yemen
![: People use rafts to cross the Dawa river bordering Kenya and Ethiopia.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/7/s/2/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.1227st.png/1417978081473.jpg)
7:40 AM At least 70 Ethiopians drowned when a boat used by smugglers to transport illegal migrants to Yemen sank in the Red Sea in rough weather, security authorities in the western part of the country said on Sunday.
North Korea calls Sony Pictures hack a 'righteous deed'
!['Supreme leadership': North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.](/web/20141208134308im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/2/2/9/o/8/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.1229cg.png/1417986852218.jpg)
Choe Sang-Hun 8:02 AM North Korea has denied responsibility for hacking the computers of Sony Pictures but appeared to relish the cyberattack that crippled the computer systems of the Hollywood company, which is set to release a comedy involving an assassination attempt of its leader, Kim Jong Un.