Revellers in New Zealand have already hailed the start of 2014, dancing in Auckland’s streets Dubai is planning the world’s biggest ever fireworks show with Guinness World Record judges on hand Sydney’s Opera House and iconic bridge illuminated as hundreds of boats pack the harbour ahead of midnight The biggest party in the world is underway with bright fireworks bursting into skies across the globe as midnight strikes and nations […]

Celebrations are beginning to mark the beginning of 2014, with Auckland in New Zealand ringing in the new year at 11:00 GMT on Tuesday. Crowds have gathered in Sydney, Australia, in anticipation of the city’s famous firework display. In Japan, Shinto priests gathered at shrines to prepare to usher in the new year. Other cities globally are also planning big displays, with Dubai attempting a world record for the largest […]

  What does it matter how you dress? Well one state in Malaysia cares, at least for those who are Muslim. The Pahang state in Malaysia’s east coast has outlawed “cross dressing” by followers of Islam. It vows to charge Muslim men or women that it perceives wearing clothes of the opposite gender. The punishment is up to one year in prison. The law only applies to Muslims in the […]

  Wagons from a mile-long train carrying crude oil have burst into flames as they derailed after a collision in the US state of North Dakota. A plume of thick black smoke could be seen many miles away and explosions were heard. No injuries were reported, but officials are urging people from the nearby town of Casselton – some 2,300 people – to evacuate as a precaution. An investigation into […]

Fifteen months after the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi which killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, the narrative of the attack continues to be shaped, and reshaped, by politicians and the press. But a New York Times report published over the weekend has angered sources who were on the ground that night. Those sources, who continue to face threats of losing their jobs, sharply challenged the Times’ findings […]

STORY HIGHLIGHTS NEW: Avianca announces the cancellation of 33 flights into and out of the country NEW: El Salvador’s president says authorities don’t know if the volcano will erupt again Chaparrastique sent a plume of gas and ash about 3 miles high, environmental ministry says Some flights to San Salvador, the capital, were redirected to other airports to avoid the ash El Salvador’s Chaparrastique volcano erupted Sunday, sending a dark […]

Seven-time world champion fell in Méribel resort in French Alps Medical sources say F1 star was suffering from a brain haemorrhage Schumacher, 44, was skiing off-piste with son, 14 The skiing enthusiast was wearing helmet and hit head on a rock Airlifted to hospital in Grenoble, 80 miles west, where he was conscious But, in a report filed at 7.20pm, doctors said his condition ‘worsened’ Tonight, a surgeon specialising in […]

A German magazine, citing internal documents, claims the NSA’s hacking unit uses James Bond-style spy gear to obtain data, including intercepting computer deliveries and outfitting them with espionage software. Der Spiegel’s revelations relate to a division of the NSA known as Tailored Access Operations, or TAO, which is painted as an elite team of hackers specializing in stealing data from the toughest of targets. Citing the internal documents, the magazine […]

STORY HIGHLIGHTS An explosion on a trolleybus killed at least 10 people, state media report It follows a blast at a train station a day earlier that killed 17 people Russia is due to hold the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February Another deadly blast struck the southern Russian city of Volgograd on Monday, killing at least 10 people and further highlighting Russia’s security challenges as it readies to host […]

A suicide attack on a train station in Russia’s southern city of Volgograd has killed 16 people, officials say. Initial official claims that the bomber was a lone woman have been replaced by uncertainty about who carried it out. President Vladimir Putin has ordered security to be tightened at railway stations and airports across Russia. Moscow is concerned militant groups could be ramping up violence in the run-up to the […]