Use of artificial sweeteners 'may promote diabetes'

Using artificial sweeteners may set the stage for diabetes in some people by hampering the way their bodies handle sugar, according to a preliminary study carried out mostly on mice.

Scotland: Yes or no?

The Scottish people began voting on Thursday in an independence referendum that will decide the fate of the United Kingdom.

Australian police: Raids thwarted beheading plot

Police said they thwarted a plot to carry out beheadings in Australia by supporters of the radical Islamic State group by detaining 15 people and raiding more than a dozen properties across Sydney on Thursday.

UK muslims plead for hostage under threat

British Muslim leaders have made a plea for the safety of a British hostage threatened with beheading by Islamic State extremists in Syria.

Thai PM 'sorry' for bikini remarks after murders of 2 young Britons

Thailand's junta chief apologized on Thursday for suggesting tourists in bikinis could be more vulnerable to attack, comments that caused an international outcry following the brutal murder of two British vacationers.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Disasters hit more people than conflicts

Natural disasters displaced three times more people last year than violent conflicts, showing the urgent need to support vulnerable people, according to a study released on Wednesday.

Waistlines in US continue to swell, medical study says

The average US citizen's waistline has expanded over the past decade, adding about 2.5 cm of belly fat from 1999 to 2012, researchers said Tuesday.

Poachers turn gamekeepers in Rwanda

For four decades, Leonidas Barora was a renowned hunter, tracking animals in the lush forests of Rwanda. Now he fires arrows only to impress tourists and help protect the wildlife.

Bones suggest Richard III met swift death

Scientists in Britain have given blow-by-blow details of King Richard III's death at the Battle of Bosworth more than 500 years ago, saying two of many blows to his bare head could have killed him very quickly.

1 million children die within 24 hours of birth

One million babies die each year within 24 hours of birth from mostly preventable causes, a UN report released on Tuesday said.

US not ruling out ground troops in Iraq

The top military officer in the US raised the possibility on Tuesday that US troops might need to take on a larger role in Iraq's ground war against Islamic State militants, but the White House hastened to say that any such decision would not involve a combat mission.