Vivian Tsai

A Congolese gynecologist and human rights activist survived an assassination attempt.

The EU named Iranian lawyer Narsin Sotoudeh and Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi as winners of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

Heavily criticized for close ties with China's Communist Party, Chinese author Mo Yan said he hopes Liu Xiaobo regains his freedom soon.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a statement on Friday denying a newspaper report that claimed he had agreed in principle to return the Golan Heights completely to Syria in return for diplomatic recognition.

Tanzania’s recent investigation into the circulation of sub-standard HIV drugs may lead to further criminal prosecution, the Tanzania Health Minister, Hussein Ali Mwinyi, said.

Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez and her husband were reportedly arrested by officials in the eastern city of Bayamo.

The U.K. High Court ruled Abu Hamza al-Masri, Babar Ahmad, Syed Talha Ahsan, Adel Abdul Bary, and Khaled al-Fawwaz will be extradited to the U.S.

The people of Taiwan have enjoyed tremendous economic development in recent decades, but this prosperity has harmed the quality of life for many. For example, there is too much noise on the overcrowded island.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shared his love of animals by giving a terrier puppy to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as a diplomatic present.

Bo Xilai, once considered a contender for the highest post in the Chinese government, has been officially expelled from the Communist Party, or CCP, and now expects to face justice, according to state media.

Julius Malema, a fierce critic of the current South African President Jacob Zuma, is said to have received an arrest warrant for corruption, fraud and money laundering.

The Louvre Museum of Paris has opened a new wing dedicated to Islamic Arts, amid growing tension with Muslim world.

Influx of wealthy immigrants into Zug, Switzerland's richest canton, do not blend well with local residents, causing friction between the two groups. A Swiss farmer turned down $30 million, refusing to have more apartments built on his farmland.

Some 100,000 feral camels have been culled from the Australian outback in order to control the population level and limit the environmental damage they cause.

Following the historic disaster at Fukushima nuclear power plant last year, the Japanese government is poised to completely shift its energy policy by phasing out its dependence on atomic energy by the 2030s.

Singapore reached the worst air pollution level in the year, as monsoon brought haze from Indonesian forest fire.

Canada has officially suspended all of its diplomatic relation with Iran, closing down its embassy in Iran and expelling all Iranian diplomats from Canada.

Kenya Wildlife Service plans to complete the project in 5 years.

Official aid from the South to the North often goes through the Red Cross as a matter of formality and convenience.

Hundreds of girls below the age of 10 each year are forced into marriage in Iran, and the trend is experiencing a dramatic increase. This alarming statistics was accompanied by an official statement from the Iranian parliament's legal affairs committee that Iran will push to legalize marriage for girls of merely 9 years old.

On Wednesday, another unseaworthy boat with more than 150 asylum-seekers sunk to the bottom of the sea off Indonesia while seeking asylum in Australia. A continuing massive search and rescue operation has plucked 55 survivors out of the sea, but more are still missing as critical hours just ended.

Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize-winning archbishop who was renowned for his opposition to the Apartheid regime, refused to attend a summit with the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, because of Blair's decision to support the Iraq War.

China estimates a total national investment of 372 billion USD to be spent in the next three and a half years on improving energy efficiency, strengthening pollution control and expanding recycling economy.

Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi ordered the release of a journalist who was jailed for insulting him and used his self-declared legislative authority for the first time Thursday to protect journalists' freedom of press.

Norwegian news portal VG Nett reported Muslim extremist terrorist group Ansar al-Sunna has threatened the Norwegian government with an attack similar to 9-11.

As North Korea's figurehead of state visits Iran for the Non-Aligned Movement summit from Aug. 26 to Aug. 31, the U.N. and the U.S. will be paying close attention to the development of these two nations' relationship.

Nguyen Duc Kien, one of the richest tycoons in Vietnam's banking industry, has been arrested for conducting "illegal business," prompting fears among customers who have withdrawn hundreds of millions of dollars since the news broke out on Monday.

Sardinia has the world's highest concentration of centenarians and super-centenarians because of good genetics, healthy diet and active lifestyle.

President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has suspended her own son from the post of central bank deputy governor for failure to declare his assets to the anti-corruption commission, her office said.