Xi heads for Paris as Beijing and China under smog
Philip Wen 5:45 PM Air quality index readings surged beyond 500, more than 20 times levels considered safe by the World Health Organisation, prompting local authorities to issue an "orange alert".
Top world stories
Islamic State's Mediterranean stronghold
David Kirkpatrick, Ben Hubbard and Eric Schmitt 3:04 PM As IS suffers reverses in Syria and Iraq, the Libyan arm of the movement is becoming a more important focus of jihadist activity.
Tibetan language facing extinction
China has sharply scaled back, and restricted, the teaching of languages spoken by ethnic minorities in its vast western regions in recent years.
Israel suspends EU role in peace efforts
Israel has suspended contacts with European Union bodies involved in peace efforts with the Palestinians after the bloc started requiring the labelling of exports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Germany may send 1200 soldiers to Syria
Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to support the offensive against Islamic State during recent talks with French President Francois Hollande, after the November 13 attacks in Paris.
Turkey gives Russia pilot's body
Turkey presented the body to Russian diplomats on Sunday, five days after shooting down his warplane in an incident that wrecked relations between two of the main powers involved in Syria's war.
Latest world news
Security tight as Paris climate conference to begin
Kim Hjelmgaard 7:10 PM France has implemented exceptional security measures as nearly 150 world leaders gathered for a climate change summit barely two weeks after the multiple terrorist attacks that struck the French capital.
Mexican state of Sinaloa: bountiful in soybeans, drugs, violence
Michael Koziol 5:58 PM When Australian surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman ventured into the Mexican state of Sinaloa, they must have known they were entering one of the world's most dangerous territories.
Xi heads for Paris as Beijing and China labour under a cloud of smog
Philip Wen 5:45 PM Air quality index readings surged beyond 500, more than 20 times levels considered safe by the World Health Organisation, prompting local authorities to issue an "orange alert".
Surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman 'drove through Mexico drug cartel area'
Megan Levy 5:36 PM On the night of November 20, two men matching the descriptions of Australian surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman were seen entering an all-night convenience store in the coastal Mexican city of Los Michos.
Palestinian refugees vulnerable in Syrian turmoil: top UN official
Daniel Flitton 5:22 PM The United Nations agency responsible for educating half a million Palestinian children was almost forced to postpone the school year because of sharp funding shortfalls from international aid donors.
Intruder dies in California chimney after homeowner lights fire
5:14 PM A suspected burglar who attempted to enter a California home through the chimney died on Saturday after the homeowner lit a fire without realising the intruder was inside, police said.
Chinese climate change report paints a grim picture
Chris Buckley 4:02 PM Rising seas besieging China's economically vital coastal zones. Mighty feats of infrastructure, like the Three Gorges Dam and railway in Tibet, strained by turbulent rainfall and the melting of frozen earth.
Mystery of lost queen and King Tut's tomb
Colin Freeman 4:01 PM Â Experts believe a sealed chamber behind Tutankhamun's tomb may turn out to be the final resting place of his stepmother Nefertiti.
Turkey to get $4.4 billion and possible EU membership as part of migrant deal
Francesco Guarascio 3:50 PM Leaders of the European Union and Turkey have agreed a deal offering Ankara cash and closer ties in return for help to halt the flow of migrants to Europe.
Colorado governor calls for abortion debate to be 'toned down'
Keith Coffman 3:39 PM The attack at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic was 'a form of terrorism' that suggested the abortion debate in the United States needed to be 'toned down', says the state's governor.
Fathers' rights protesters scale roof on Buckingham Palace grounds
3:17 PM British police say two men have scaled Buckingham Palace in an apparent protest over fathers' rights.
Plane windscreen shatters mid-flight
Michael Koziol 2:56 PM An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing at the weekend when its front windscreen shattered en route from Milan to New York.
Military attache pleads guilty to indecent assault
1:27 PM A former Malaysian diplomatic staffer in New Zealand has pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a Wellington woman.
Chicago gang member arrested after nine-year-old Tyshawn Lee shot dead
Lindsey Bever, Aamer Madhani 10:55 AM A Chicago gang member has been arrested and charged with murder after police said he helped lure a nine-year-old boy into an alley where the child was shot in the head in an apparent gang retaliation against the boy's father.
Under tightest security, Pope's first visit to a warzone
Philip Pullella 10:14 AM Protected by the heaviest security ever seen on his trips, Pope Francis preached reconciliation in the divided Central African Republic, a nation racked by bloodshed between Muslims and Christians.
Cyber spies raise their game against pro-democracy Chinese
Clare Baldwin, James Pomfret and Jeremy Wagstaff 10:12 AM Almost a year after students ended pro-democracy street protests in Hong Kong, they face an online battle against what Western security experts say are China-sponsored hackers using techniques rarely seen elsewhere.
Vehicles 'levitate' in bizarre China crash
9:18 AM A cable caught in a street sweeper is being blamed for a bizarre incident that seemed to make three vehicles levitate on a street in China.
Paris UN climate conference 2015: police clash with defiant protesters
Alexandra Zavis 5:48 AM Frustrated by a ban on demonstrations during international climate talks, hundreds of protesters clashed with police on Sunday in the Place de la Republique in Paris.
Britain seeks end to 'dodgy data' at UN climate talks
Emily Gosden 2:10 AM World leaders pledging action to tackle global warming must submit to a strict new transparency regime to prove they are not dodging their commitments, Britain will argue at United Nations talks in Paris.
What is the Paris climate change conference?
2:09 AM The key issues as world leaders search for a global deal on temperature curbs.
