World News

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP):Mexico City lawmakers have approved prison terms for animal cruelty, previously considered a civil offence sanctioned with fines and detentions.The capital's legislative assembly unanimously agreed that people who intentionally...

WASHINGTON, United States (AP):Recalling the shooting of 20 first-graders as the worst day of his presidency, President Barack Obama on Sunday pledged to put his "full weight" behind a legislative...

TENNESSEE, United States (AP):A new law requiring Tennessee residents 60 years or older to have a photo on their driver's licence is among those taking effect on New Year's Day.State Senator Jim Tracy, the legislation's sponsor, said seniors who don't...

NEW DELHI (AP):Shocked Indians yesterday were mourning the death of a woman who was gang-raped and beaten on a bus in New Delhi nearly two weeks ago, in an ordeal that galvanised people to demand greater protection for women from sexual violence.

The announcement will be seen as evidence China's new leadership views the internet as a threat.

At least two people have been killed and another 11 injured after a plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Burma.

VATICAN CITY (AP):Anyone left on your Christmas list just aching for a 65-inch Samsung 3D flat-screen television? Just your luck.The Vatican's duty-free department store has one on sale for €2,899 ($3,840), a nifty...

BEIRUT (AP):With less than 24 hours before Christmas, 40-year-old Mira begged her parents to flee their hometown of Aleppo, which has become a major battleground in Syria's civil war.Her parents refused to join her in Lebanon, but they are taking one...

SANTIAGO, (AP):Chile is issuing a red alert for a volcano on the border with Argentina that has become increasingly active.The Copahue volcano straddling Argentina's Neuquen province started spewing ash and gas Saturday.

Massachusetts voters weary from one of the nation's costliest and most divisive United States Senate races are all but certain to find themselves thrown back into another tumultuous election now that President Barack Obama has nominated Senator John Kerry for secretary of state.

Despite the UN Security Council's adoption of Resolution 1738 in 2006, stressing the need to protect journalists in dangerous areas, violence against journalists, above all the killing of journalists, continues to be one of the biggest threats to freedom of expression.

A mob in southern Pakistan stormed a police station to seize a mentally unstable Muslim man accused of burning a copy of Islam's holy book, beat him to death, and then set his body afire, police said yesterday.