The Japanese government on August 17 approved the full resumption of commercial operations of an atomic reactor for the first time since the March 11 quake and tsunami, which sparked the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

US Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Janet Napolitano on Wednesday announced new steps to guard against terror attacks ahead of the 9/11 anniversary next month, calling on its citizens to be more alert to possible terrorist threats.

Reports of violence persisted on August 18 in Syria as President Bashar al-Assad insisted that any move toward reform was not a response to international condemnation.

Public health officials say nearly 500 people have died of cholera in Cameroon this month, and 13,000 cases have been reported in the country this year.

Syrian tanks fired on low-income Sunni Muslim districts in the port city of Latakia on Tuesday, the fourth day of an assault which has killed 36 people and forced thousands of Palestinian refugees to flee, activists said.

France and Germany unveiled far-reaching plans on August 16 for closer euro zone integration and said joint euro bonds may be a longer-term option, leaving the currency area vulnerable to more attacks from traders.

Fitch Ratings on August 16 reaffirmed the US’s AAA credit rating.

India has denied it is stifling democratic protest after police arrested 1,300 people to halt a hunger strike by an anti-corruption activist.

US and the Republic of Korea (RoK) troops began a 10-day military exercise on August 16, maneuvers the US commander called "defense-oriented" during a period of heightened tensions with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Military forces loyal to Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi have fired a Scud missile for the first time in the country's six-month conflict, US defence officials say.