More than 600 dead in Philippine storm
Rescuers searched for more than 800 people missing on December 18 after flash floods and landslides killed more than 600 people in the southern Philippines.
UN lifts sanctions on Libya's key banks
The UN Security Council has 16 decided to lift the sanctions on the Central Bank of Libya and its investments subsidiary - the Libyan Foreign Bank.
Three dead and 257 wounded in Egyptian clashes
Three people were killed as troops fought daylong battles with protesters, showing the tensions seething in Egypt nine months after Hosni Mubarak's fall.
Japan PM declares 'cold shutdown' at Fukushima
Engineers have brought the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to a "cold shutdown condition", nine months after the earthquake and tsunami, Japan has confirmed.
27 dead after Syrian government forces, defectors clash
Reports from Syria say military defectors killed at least 27 soldiers on December 15 in intensifying bouts of armed resistance against embattled President Bashar al-Assad.
EU, Russia agree on several points toward visa-free travel
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and top leaders from the European Union (EU) on December 15 agreed to start talks on visa-free travel.
India illicit liquor death toll rises to 121
The death toll from the illicit liquor disaster in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal has risen to 121, while 100 are being treated in hospitals for poisoning, according to local media reports.
Killing Gaddafi may be war crime: head of International Criminal Court
The death of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was captured and killed by rebels in October, may have been a war crime, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Thursday.
RoK-China tension grows over Yellow Sea incident
Tension between the Republic of Korea (RoK) and China has been growing after a Chinese fisherman stabbed a RoK Coast Guard officer to death on December 12.
Putin not to resign as PM to run for Russian presidency
Vladimir Putin will not step down as prime minister when he is campaigning for Russia's presidency, his spokesman said on December 15, dismissing reports he might become acting president to help secure re-election to the Kremlin.
Egyptian Islamists likely to receive biggest bloc in vote
Egyptians return to polling stations on December 14 in a phased election likely to give Islamists the biggest bloc in a parliament that will play a key role in drafting a new constitution.