News in English

Attacks against unarmoured Humvees from roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades are driving up the casualty toll for US forces in Iraq.

China's most powerful legislative committee has ruled Hong Kong will not have direct elections for its next leader in 2007, crushing hopes in the Chinese territory for a quick move toward full democracy.

Hundreds of thousands of abortion-rights supporters have rallied in central Washington to ensure that abortion remains legal in the US.

Mortar fire on Baghdad's teeming Shiite Muslim neighbourhood and a roadside bomb south of the capital killed at least 20 Iraqis overnight as insurgents killed five US soldiers in a rocket attack outside Baghdad.

Foreign aid workers reported a scene of utter devastation at the site of the North Korean train explosion today, and confirmed about half of the 154 victims were children.

Exit polls in Cyprus's referendums indicate Greek Cypriots have overwhelmingly rejected a UN plan to reunite the island, while Turkish Cypriots have voted heavily in favour of it.

Iraqi insurgents released three hostages - an Israeli Arab and two Swiss - today, a day after a Dane was confirmed as the second captive to have been murdered amid a spate of abductions.

An extremist group with links to al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's suicide bombing in the Saudi capital of Riyadh that killed at least four people and injured 148.

Spain has agreed to a US request to leave its intelligence agents in Iraq and not withdraw them along with its 1300 troops, a leading Socialist party member said today.

Thai police are investigating whether a letter sent to the Korean and Pakistan embassies in Bangkok warning of attacks against US allies, including Australia, is the work of a hoax or a previously unknown terror group.