'Frevo' Carnival tradition a world treasure

THE Frevo, the frenetic musical tradition associated with Brazil's Carnival, has been designated by UNESCO as an intangible world heritage treasure. The music and dance, common in the city of Recife, will now stand alongside the likes of the...

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Belgium raises terror level over film

BELGIUM has raised its terror threat level to the second-highest ahead of the release of a new home-made film on the internet next week criticising the Prophet Mohammed. Interior Minister Joelle Milquet said on Friday the decision by a terror...

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Troubled UN climate talks stall

UN climate negotiators have locked horns on the final day of talks in Doha to halt the march of global warming, deeply divided on funding for poor countries and extending the greenhouse gas-curbing Kyoto Protocol. Delegates knuckled down for a...

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Monti teeters as Berlusconi party attacks

PRIME Minister Mario Monti's government hangs by a thread as Silvio Berlusconi prepares to return to the fray, with his supporters arguing that Italy is economically now far worse off than before. "We believe the experience of the Monti government...

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Chemical weapons watchdog concerned

THE world chemical weapons watchdog has asked Syria to sign up to a convention banning their use, expressing "serious concerns" that for the first time in the agreement's history they might be used. The announcement by the Organisation for the...

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Homeless man charged in NY subway death

US authorities have charged a homeless man in the death of a New York resident pushed in front of an oncoming subway train and killed as onlookers watched. Naeem Davis, 30, was arraigned on Wednesday night on a second-degree murder charge and...

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US stocks open flat

US stocks are mixed in early trade as markets continue in their generally sideways drift in a patient wait for a political deal in the fiscal cliff deficit talks. After 30 minutes of trade on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down...

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Bus driver finds, hands in $500,000

VIENNA'S transport authority says a city bus driver checking a bag left behind by a passenger had the surprise of his life - 390,000 euros ($488,000) in neatly stacked 500-euro bills. Transit authority spokeswoman Anna-Maria Reich says the driver...

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Tough Aussie's visa battle to stay in UK

AN Australian man recognised for his bravery after suffering knife wounds while protecting elderly women on a London bus has been refused the right to remain in the UK, a newspaper reports. Tim Smits, 33, from Melbourne, was stabbed and punched...

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US unemployment aid applications drop

THE number of people seeking US unemployment aid fell sharply last week as a temporary spike caused by superstorm Sandy has faded. Weekly applications have fallen back to a level consistent with modest hiring. The Labour Department said on Thursday...

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Somali Islamists attack Puntland troops

SOMALIA'S Islamist Shebab have killed at least ten soldiers from the northern Puntland region, an area where the al-Qaeda linked militants are feared to be carving out new bases, officials say. Khalif Issa Mudan, defence minister of the semi-autonomous...

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US stocks mixed in opening trade

US stocks have opened mixed after a weak November private-sector jobs report reflected the impact of the devastating superstorm Sandy. After five minutes of trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 41.62 points (0.32 per cent) at 12,993.40....

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Israel advances settlement plan

AN Israeli plan to build new settler homes in a sensitive area near Jerusalem has passed a first hurdle, sparking fury from the Palestinians, who said building there would end all hopes of peace. Israel's plan for construction in a strip of West...

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EU, US in alliance to hit web child sex

THE 27-nation European Union, the United States and a score of other countries including Australia have launched a "global alliance" to stamp out trade in online images and videos of child sexual abuse. "Child sexual abuse online is a hideous...

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Starbucks to open 1500 more cafes in US

STARBUCKS, the world's biggest coffee company, is planning to add at least 1500 cafes in the US over the next five years. The plan, which would boost the number of Starbucks cafes in the country by about 13 per cent, was announced at the company's...

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US stocks open mixed amid budget impasse

US stocks have opened mixed, getting a lift from European market gains while US politicians continued to wrangle over a budget plan that would avoid the year-end "fiscal cliff." The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 12.40 points (0.10 per cent)...

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Police arrest 2 linked to Toulouse gunman

FRENCH police have arrested two people in connection with the attacks by extremist gunman Mohamed Merah, whose shooting spree in and around the southern city of Toulouse left seven people dead. A man described by police as a 38-year-old member...

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One dead in violent clashes in Bangladesh

PROTESTERS from Bangladesh's largest Islamic party have clashed with security forces in cities across the country in violence that has left one dead, police say. Jamaat-e-Islami called a strike on Tuesday to protest against the arrest and trial...

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Exports, spending cuts to hurt GDP growth

WEAKER exports and government spending cuts are likely to have slowed the pace of economic growth in the September quarter. The median market forecast is for the Australian economy to have grown by 0.6 per cent in the September quarter, according...

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West warns Damascus on chemical weapons

WESTERN powers have warned Damascus there will be an immediate reaction to any use of chemical weapons as NATO prepares to approve a Turkish request for missiles to protect its border with Syria. "The possible use of chemical weapons would be...

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Clinton lobbies Czech govt on power plant

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lobbied the Czech government on Monday to approve an American bid for a $US10 billion ($A9.63 billion) expansion of a nuclear power plant amid fierce competition from a rival Russian offer. Clinton made...

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Ukraine's government, PM resign en masse

UKRAINIAN Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and the entire government resigned on Monday in a surprise move after controversial elections as the economy teeters on the brink of recession. The presidency said President Viktor Yanukovych had accepted...

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Putin holds talks in Turkey

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Monday on a trip focused on resolving sharp differences over the near 21-month conflict raging in Syria. Protesters chanted anti-Putin slogans outside...

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RBA to deliver a pre-Christmas rate cut

CONCERNS about slowing domestic growth should move the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to deliver an interest rate cut in time for Christmas. The RBA board meets on Tuesday (December 4) for its last monthly rate decision until February next...

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Duchess of Cambridge pregnant

KATE Middleton is expecting a baby and has been admitted to hospital with acute morning sickness, St James' Palace has announced. The BBC reports that members of the royal family are delighted by the news.A Palace spokesman said the duchess was...

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Israel called to explain targeting reporters

ISRAEL must provide an "immediate and detailed explanation" for its targeting of journalists during last month's Gaza conflict. In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Committee to Protect Journalists said it was "gravely...

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'Now we have a state,' Abbas says

PALESTINIAN president Mahmud Abbas returned to the West Bank on Sunday after winning upgraded UN status for the Palestinians, telling cheering crowds: "Yes, now we have a state." "Palestine has accomplished a historic achievement at the UN," Abbas...

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Rudd, Turnbull voters' choice, poll shows

ABSENCE has made voters' hearts grow fonder for Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull, who hold big leads over Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, a Galaxy poll shows. After a brutal week in federal parliament, Mr Rudd is preferred leader by 27 per cent...

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No US budget deal without tax hikes

LEAD White House negotiator Timothy Geithner insisted Sunday there would be no deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" unless Republicans allowed tax rates on the wealthiest Americans to rise. Talks to avoid the dreaded "fiscal cliff" are at a dangerous...

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WikiLeaks suspect's trial date postponed

THE trial date for a US Army private accused of passing a trove of secret documents to WikiLeaks has been pushed back from February to March next year, a military judge said Sunday. The court-martial of Bradley Manning, 24, charged with the...

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