The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s President Lee Myung-bak said in his New Year's speech Monday that the door for inter-Korean dialogue remains open, but stressed that "any provocation" by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will not be tolerated.

Two U.S. soldiers were killed in central Iraq, the first military service members killed in 2011 due to an insurgents' attack in the country, the U.S. military said on Monday.

Two children in the eastern Philippines have been killed in a landslide caused by heavy rain, raising the toll from the bad weather to five.

Floodwaters in the Australian city of Rockhampton are rising faster than expected, Queensland authorities say.

U.S. Special Representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) policy Stephen Bosworth will visit the Republic of Korea, China, and Japan from January 3-7.

The first oil pipeline linking the world's biggest oil producer, Russia, and the world's biggest consumer of energy, China, has begun operating.

A strong earthquake has shaken central Chile, disrupting power and communications but causing no casualties or serious damage.

Brazil's first woman President, Dilma Rousseff, has been sworn into office.

Four people were killed on January 1 and more than 43 others were injured, four critically, after a Russian passenger jet caught fire shortly before takeoff, authorities said.  

A bomb killed at least 21 people outside a church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria early on New Year's Day and the Interior Ministry said a foreign-backed suicide bomber may have been responsible.