Seven people were killed and 22 wounded after a car bomb planted outside a cafe exploded on May 12 in a Shi'ite area of Baghdad, police and a source at the Iraqi Interior Ministry said.

The Thai government has warned red-shirt protesters that it will begin to cut off supplies to their Bangkok camps if they do not pack up and go home immediately.

Sen. Benigno Aquino III, the son of former Philippine president Corazon Aquino, led contenders for the Philippines presidency on May 11, as authorities tabulated returns from the country's national elections.

Conservative leader David Cameron has become the UK's new prime minister after the resignation of Gordon Brown.

Heavy rains causing landslide and flash floods have swept across parts of southern China in recent days, killing at least 70 people and forcing 145,000 others to evacuate to safer place.

Cambodia and Malaysia have signed six investment deals worth US$1 billion covering IT, education and training, agriculture and halal food processing.

Gold prices hit an all-time high as demand surged to the highest level since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 amid volatile financial markets in Europe.

The European Union has cobbled a last ditch, US$960 billion safety net for financially struggling members, hoping to calm fears that the Greek financial crisis will spread to other euro zone countries.

At least 85 people have been killed and nearly 300 wounded in a string of bombings and shootings across Iraq, the country's Interior Ministry reported on May 10.

Gordon Brown has announced he will step down as Labour leader by September - as his party opens formal talks with the Lib Dems about forming a government.