World/Local News

THE “strategic defeat” of al-Qa’ida is “within reach”, Leon Panetta said as he arrived on a surprise first visit to Afghanistan in his new role as United States defence secretary. The former CIA chief, who […] […]

TOKYO — A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 hit Japan’s northeastern coast on Sunday, prompting a tsunami warning for the area still recovering from a devastating quake and killer wave four months ago. […] […]

KABUL, Afghanistan—Three NATO service members were killed Sunday in separate attacks in Afghanistan, the international coalition said. Two service members died from a bomb and an insurgent attack in the south, while the third was […] […]

BEIJING—The top U.S. military officer began a visit to Beijing aimed at improving chilly military relations with an appeal Sunday for a peaceful settlement amid tensions in the disputed South China Sea. The visit by […] […]

GREENLAWN, N.Y.—Police on New York’s Long Island are investigating the death of a 2-year-old girl who was choked by the electrical cord of an air conditioner. Malana Ingram was rushed to a hospital where she […] […]

BRITAIN’S best-selling Sunday tabloid the News of the World has signed off with a simple front page message in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal: “THANK YOU & GOODBYE”. Journalists crafted the newspaper’s own obituary […] […]

A plane has crashed in a thunderstorm as it was attempting to land in the Congo, killing at least 48 people, and leaving a dozen or more buried in the wreckage. Officials say 53 passengers […] […]

A man opened fire inside a Wyoming mobile home, killing his three sons and a brother and injuring his wife, authorities said Friday. One neighbor said the wounded woman ran from the home screaming, “He […] […]

LIBYAN rebels say they’re preparing to push forward in their drive on Tripoli from the south and west in a bid to isolate Muammar Gaddafi in the capital. But the embattled leader remains defiant, telling […] […]

BRITISH author Alan Shadrake was freed to from a Singapore prison after serving time for contempt of court related to his book on the death penalty, an AFP photographer saw. Shadrake was whisked away from […] […]