THE HAGUE: A fire in the Netherlands has gutted the birthplace of exotic dancer and World War I spy Mata Hari, Dutch media said on Sunday.

BAGHDAD: Twin bomb attacks on Sunday on a Baghdad cafe killed dozens of people in one of nine suicide attacks across Iraq, which is suffering its worst violence in five years.

MOUNT VICTORIA: Firefighters were racing to tame an enormous blaze in southeastern Australia Monday with officials warning it could merge with others to create a "mega-fire" if weather conditions worsen.

MALE: The Maldives returns to the polls on Saturday for another attempt to choose a president after judges annulled last month's election results, deepening concern about political stability in the fledgling democracy.
Regional power India sent a top envoy for talks with presidential candidates Thursday as international pressure mounted on Maldivian authorities to stage a peaceful election.

Chilling new CCTV footage has emerged of terrorists casually gunning down shoppers during the attack on Kenya's Westgate shopping centre last month.

LONDON: Ahead of next month's Commonwealth Summit in Colombo, UK's parliamentary committee on Thursday accused the British government of pursuing a timid and inconsistent policy towards Sri Lanka despite continuing human rights violations there.

WASHINGTON: Washington's risky game of political brinkmanship neared crisis point on Tuesday, with no deal yet nailed down to avoid a catastrophic US debt default, just 36 hours before a crucial deadline.

TOKYO: A powerful typhoon triggered landslides and caused at least 13 deaths on a Japanese island, before sweeping up the country's east coast, grounding hundreds of flights and paralyzing public transportation in Tokyo during Wednesday morning's rush hour.

SKOPJE (MACEDONIA): Indian peacekeepers have made a name for themselves. They did it again, but this time with a difference. The once volatile region of the Balkans, which saw war and sectarian strife through its violent history, carving and re-carving itself, is now spearheading an inspirational campaign for peace.

WASHINGTON: US senators said they were closing in on a deal Monday that would reopen the government and push back a possible default for several months, though many hurdles remained as a Thursday deadline drew near.