Nightclub inferno leaves Brazil in mourning
French-led troops ring Timbuktu, Islamists burn manuscripts
French-led troops ringed Mali’s fabled desert city of Timbuktu Monday after seizing its airport in a lightning advance as fleeing Islamists torched a building housing priceless ancient manuscripts. Full storyObama praises ‘extraordinary’ Hillary in joint interview
The US president, Barack Obama, Friday heaped praise on outgoing secretary of state Hillary Clinton in a rare joint interview set to renew speculation that she will run for president in 2016. The joint sit-down interview with CBS television, which was... Full storySyrians come up with new ways to live with war
Syria’s 22-month war, despite its dehumanising effects, is teaching ordinary people to pull together and come up with innovative ways to survive without electricity or their daily bread. Full storyTaiwan billionaire launches Asian ‘Nobel prize’
One of Taiwan’s richest men on Monday launched what has been widely touted as the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize, and it is even more lucrative than the famed Swedish award. Full storyModi wins political backing
Hardline Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi won crucial backing Monday to run for Indian prime minister, boosting his campaign to lead the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party into elections in 2014. Full storySwine flu infected 1 in 5, death rate low
At least one in five people worldwide were infected with swine flu during the first year of the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic, an international research group said on Friday, but the death rate was just 0.02 per cent. Full storySri Lanka president expands cabinet
Sri Lanka’s president expanded his cabinet to 67 members on Monday by adding five new ministers while key figures involved in the recent impeachment of the country’s chief justice were handed promotions. Full storyFour dead in Australia floods
