Asia
Air pollution cuts life span by years
A NEW study says half-billion people in northern China will have their life span cut by more than five years because of air pollution.
Elderly are city's worst shoplifters
ONE-quarter of shoplifters in Tokyo are bored and lonely over-65s, and more elderly folk have been nabbed for the crime than teenagers.
Bin Laden 'pulled over for speeding'
OSAMA bin Laden was once pulled over for speeding but let go by Pakistan police and wore cowboy hats to fool American drones.
Taxi driver kills man over $2 fare
THAI police have arrested a Bangkok cab driver accused of stabbing an American passenger to death with a machete in an argument over a $2 fare.
Hotel collapses on workers, killing 13
A TWO-STOREY hotel has collapsed in India, killing at least 13 people and injuring 17 others, with rescuers scouring the rubble for survivors.
Crash victim teens 'were best friends'
THE two teenage Chinese girls killed in the Asiana Airlines passenger jet crash in San Francisco were best friends and promising students.
Men rescued after days trapped by tigers
A GROUP of Indonesian men who spent four days trapped up a tree by Sumatran tigers were rescued after local tamers "chanted some mantras".
Most amazing baseball pitch ever?
CEREMONIAL first pitches at baseball games are usually a waste of time and effort for all concerned. Then along comes a gymnast to shake things up.
7.2-magnitude quake hits off PNG
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake has hit northeast of Papua New Guinea, according to the US Geological Survey.
Bomb blasts at Buddhist sacred site
MULTIPLE small bomb blasts at one of Buddhism's holiest sites - the Bodh Gaya temple complex in eastern India - have wounded two monks.
Giant panda gives birth in Taiwan
A FEMALE giant panda donated by China to Taiwan four years ago gave birth to a cub on Saturday.
Two Koreas in talks over industrial zone
NORTH and South Korea held rare talks on re-opening a joint industrial zone seen as the last remaining symbol of cross-border reconciliation.
Rickshaw hit by train, 14 killed
AT least 14 people, including two children, were killed when a train collided with a packed motorcycle rickshaw in Pakistan.
Forging $14bn will is bad feng shui
A FENG shui master who claimed to be a billionaire's lover has been jailed for 12 years for forging her will in a bid to steal her fortune.
Indonesia faces booze sale ban
SALES and distribution of alcohol could be banned in some parts of Indonesia after Muslim hardliners won a Supreme Court victory.
'Killer took dead girlfriend on road trip'
A CHINESE man has been charged with murder after allegedly killing his girlfriend and taking her body on a road trip to fulfil her wish to travel.
Nan dies saving kid from landslide
A GRANDMOTHER has died shielding her 15-month-old granddaughter from being crushed by a landslide that toppled their house.
Algae turns China's Yellow Sea green
THE seas off China have been hit by their largest ever growth of algae, with vast waves of green growth washing onto the shores of the Yellow Sea.
N Korea restores hotline to South
NORTH Korea has restored its official hotline with South Korea and will let the South's businessmen visit a shuttered joint industrial zone.
Rescuers search for quake victims
RESCUERS have scoured the debris of homes and landslides in Sumatra for possible victims of a tremor that killed 29 people and injured hundreds.
Small $1 stamp sells for $970,000
ONE of China's rarest stamps, which once cost a dollar and was scrapped for being too small, has sold for $970,000 at auction.
Robot guide not a people person
HONDA'S walking, talking interactive robot is running into glitches in its new job as a museum guide in Tokyo.
PM 'risks voter backlash' on cattle
TASMANIAN MP Andrew Wilkie says he is concerned that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wants to increase the live cattle trade to Indonesia.
Six children among Aceh quake victims
AN EARTHQUAKE killed six children and left 14 others trapped when a mosque collapsed in Indonesia's Aceh, bringing the death toll to 11.
Gruesome details of massacre burial
A BACKHOE driver has described in chilling detail how he used the excavator to bury the 58 victims of the Philippines' worst political massacre.
Rocket explodes, releasing toxic fuel
A RUSSIAN carrier rocket spectacularly exploded on takeoff, releasing tonnes of highly toxic fuel into the air in a disaster caught on live TV.
IT worker beams porn onto big screen
A CHINESE technician has been caught watching porn at work - when he accidentally broadcast an X-rated film on a giant outdoor screen.
Doc returns Vietnamese vet's arm
AN AMERICAN doctor arrived in Vietnam carrying an unlikely piece of luggage: the bones of an arm he amputated in 1966.
China law forces children to visit parents
A CHINESE law requiring family members to visit their elderly relatives went into effect on Monday to howls of online ridicule.
Protester miscarries after police beating
A CAMBODIAN woman miscarried after police beat her and another pregnant protester during a crackdown on a land rally in Phnom Penh.
Was this worker rescue a hoax?
RESHMA Begum was hailed "the miracle woman" when she was pulled from the ruins of a clothing factory. But many doubt her story.
Sisters shot for dancing in the rain
A SEEMINGLY innocent crime earned two Pakistani sisters a death sentence after footage of them dancing sparked outrage.
Bombs kill 44 in Pakistan as British PM visits
BOMB attacks killed 44 people in Pakistan, as Britain's Prime Minister called for tough action against terrorism during a visit to the capital.
Bangladesh garment plant workers fall ill
ABOUT 400 workers are sick after complaining of contaminated water at their Bangladeshi workplace, the second such incident to hit the same factory.
Rescuers save 200 from India floods
AT least 200 people stranded in India's northern flood-hit state of Uttarakhand have been rescued, with 250 more still needing to be brought to safety.
Singaporeans don pink for gay rights
MORE than 20,000 people wearing pink clothing gathered in Singapore on Saturday for an annual rally in support of gay rights.
'White Wolf' gang leader arrested
A TAIWAN gang leader on the island's most wanted list since he fled to China 17 years ago has been arrested on arrival at a Taipei airport.
No policy change toward Dalai Lama
CHINESE authorities have denied changing their stance on exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
Window sex led to couple's death fall
A COUPLE has fallen to their deaths when a window they were apparently having sex against broke.
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Today's Top Stories
HIGH school. University. Graduate program. Job. Yawn. With plenty of different ways to achieve success, is it best to play it straight or go the more unconventional route? Not every boss looks for straight As and a degree on your résumé.
'We're sorry': Apology for taxi abuse
A WOMAN with a rare skin condition who was asked "what's on your face" and told "you smell" by a taxi driver has received an apology.
'I won't be consumed by hatred'
THREE women held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade have issued a YouTube video in which they thank the public for encouragement and support.
Mel's new role a real comedown
OUSTED Sunrise host Melissa Doyle this week returned to the show she anchored for 11 years - as an entertainment correspondent.
Opinions flood in, faster than the boats
WHEN news.com.au published a story about asylum seekers, readers were quick to offer their views of hate, love, fear, hope - and the occasional heartwarming story.
AFL star tells of sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts
UPDATE: HARRY O'Brien spared the "burden of leadership" for the rest of the year following his revelations of sex abuse and suicidal thoughts, Nathan Buckley says.
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Inside news.com.au
Rudd focus on travel not boats: Abbott
TONY Abbott says Kevin Rudd is more interested in "travelling the world" than sorting out Australia's border security issues.
Head out of the books key to career success
HIGH school. University. Grad scheme. Job. Yawn. There are plenty of different ways to achieve career success, but is it best to play it straight or go the more unconventional route?
Our splurging days are over
BIG-LIVING, free-spending Aussies are a dying breed as more consumers hold on to their hard-earned cash.
Molly rejects strip club DJ gig
MUSIC guru Molly Meldrum has been forced to distance himself from an advertised DJ set at notorious strip club Bar 20.
Woman found living at airport
POLICE in Mexico are trying to locate the family of a woman who has been living at the Cancun airport since June 30.
Rudd-effect swamps Twitter
TWITTER loves Kevin Rudd's announcement of Labor reform, as a booming response to the news on social media leaves Tony Abbott languishing.
One in 10 Bangladesh garment plants safe
OONLY one in 10 garment factory buildings inspected by engineers from a top Bangladesh university were found to be structurally sound.
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