Japan's economy shrank much more than expected in the first quarter and slipped into recession after the triple blow of the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis hit business and consumer spending and tore apart supply chains.

US President Barack Obama on May 18 ordered sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his deputy, the prime minister and several other senior government officials.

Afghans protesting the reported deaths of civilians in a NATO airstrike clashed with police in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, leaving at least 12 dead and 83 wounded, local authorities said.

More than 70 militants armed with rockets and mortars attacked a security post on the outskirts of Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar on May 18, the latest in an upsurge of violence since Osama bin Laden was killed in the country this month.

The US and EU have warned of more pressure on Syria over its violent response to anti-government protests.  

Mexican authorities said they found and detained more than 500 illegal immigrants from Central America and Asia who were crammed inside two tractor-trailers heading toward the US on May 17.  

Competitiveness of EU's economy, EU's energy safety, Hungary's and Poland's presidency of the EU were the main topics at the third European Economic Congress opened in Katowice, central Poland on May 17.

The euro was steady against the dollar and the yen on May 18 after recovering from recent lows, but wariness over sovereign debt problem in Europe made investors nervous about piling up euro positions.

An Egyptian who was once a Special Forces officer has been chosen "caretaker" leader of al Qaeda in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, according to a source with detailed knowledge of the group's inner workings.

Massive floods and a monster cyclone that swept through northeastern Australia over the summer will cost more than Aus$6 billion (US$6.3 billion), Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser said on May 17.