Cameron on surprise visit to Afghanistan

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron pledged support on Friday for Afghanistan's newly sworn-in president and the country's new unity government, saying during a surprise visit to Kabul that Britain is committed to helping Afghans build a more secure and prosperous future.

Family that hosted Ebola patient confined to home

A woman who has been confined to her Dallas apartment under armed guard after a man infected with Ebola stayed at her home, said she never imagined this could happen to her so far from disease-ravaged West Africa.

Snowden, Malala tipped for Nobel prizes

Nobel prize season starts on Monday with speculation rife that the peace prize could go to US whistleblower Edward Snowden, Pakistani girls' education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, or perhaps Pope Francis.

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Socialist Party candidate Marina Silva is losing ground in the race for the Brazilian presidency and may not even make the run-off, an opinion poll showed on Thursday, three days ahead of the vote.

New broom Modi says clean up India

India's prime minister joined millions of schoolchildren, officials and members of the public who picked up brooms and dustpans on Thursday in a countrywide campaign to clean parks, public buildings and streets.

Toilet guru works to flush away open defecation

Surrounded by latrines and soap dispensers, sanitation charity founder Bindeshwar Pathak is most at home with toilets, which he vows to build in every impoverished home in India.

Ebola patient vomited outside on way to hospital

Two days after he was sent home from a Dallas hospital, the man who is the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States was seen vomiting on the ground outside an apartment complex as he was bundled into an ambulance.

Son of Palestinian 'guest worker' likely to become mayor of Berlin

Berlin's mayor broke ground 13 years ago by winning election after coming out as gay. Now a top candidate to succeed him wants to make history of his own: Palestinian-born Raed Saleh is seeking to become Berlin's first immigrant mayor.

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Japan's bullet train turns 50

It was, retired Japanese railway engineer Fumihiro Araki recalls, "like flying in the sky."

New privacy battle looms after moves by Apple, Google

A new battle is brewing over privacy for mobile devices, after moves by Google and Apple to toughen the encryption of their mobile devices sparked complaints from law enforcement.

Volcano death toll climbs to 48

The death toll from a sudden volcanic eruption in Japan hit 48 on Wednesday as rescuers discovered 12 new bodies in previously unexplored areas of the ash-covered peak.