Melbourne is most 'liveable city' as Damascus comes last

Melbourne tops the ranking as the world's most pleasant city to live in for the fourth year running, but an Economist Intelligence Unit poll also finds that turmoil in Ukraine and the Middle East have pushed other cities down the list.

Spacewalking cosmonauts launch satellite

A pair of Russian cosmonauts began their workweek on Monday, floating outside the International Space Station to toss out a small satellite for a university in Peru, installing science experiments, and tackling some housekeeping chores.

Crocodile kills fisherman near tourist spot

A white-headed crocodile nicknamed Michael Jackson has been shot dead, reports said on Tuesday, after the predator apparently killed a fisherman in Australia's north.

Mega gator catch is largest in Alabama

A family in Alabama hauled in a monster alligator over the weekend, setting a record for size in the southern US state, media reports said on Monday.

Riot police face heavy gunfire

US police said early on Tuesday they came under heavy gunfire and arrested 31 people during another night of racially charged protests in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked by the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white policeman 10 days ago.

UK's top bosses earn '131 times more' than staff

The heads of Britain's largest companies earned 131 times as much as their average employee last year, a study said on Monday, exposing the growing pay gap between bosses and workers.

US ship finishes neutralizing Syria's worst chemical arms

A specially equipped United States ship has finished neutralizing all 600 metric tons of the most dangerous of Syria's chemical weapons components surrendered to the international community this year to avert threatened airstrikes, the Pentagon said on Monday.

Crucial talks on long-term truce are extended

The chief Palestinian delegate to truce talks with Israel warned on Tuesday that Gaza violence could erupt anew unless progress is made toward a lasting deal ahead of a midnight deadline in Egyptian-brokered talks.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Governor deploys National Guard

Missouri's governor said on Monday he would send the National Guard into the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson to restore calm after authorities forcibly dispersed a crowd protesting last week's fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen by police.

Ferguson riot highlights racial divide in US

In his landmark "I have a dream" speech, civil rights leader Martin Luther King voiced his strong aspiration for equal rights for black people in US society.

Trooper vows to stay 'as long as it takes' in town

The trooper put in charge of tamping swirling racial tensions in this St. Louis suburb vowed Sunday to stay "as long as it takes," after violence flared anew.