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.

Ukrainian civil servants to be screened

Ukraine's prime minister said on Wednesday that 1 million civil servants, including those from government ranks, will be screened for loyalty under new legislation to root out corrupt practices hanging over from the previous ousted administration.

ROK detains foreigner in waters near DPRK border

Border guards from the Republic of Korea arrested a US citizen who they believe was attempting to swim across the border into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, a defense official said on Wednesday.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Study: Clean energy makes economic sense

Investments to help fight climate change can spur economic growth, rather than slow it as widely feared, but time is running short for a trillion-dollar shift to transform cities and energy use, an international report said on Tuesday.

Norway's former pm praises China's climate policy

Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg praised China's policy measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Official at center of British child sex scandal quits

The elected official in charge of policing in the northern English town of Rotherham quit on Tuesday after weeks of resisting political pressure to stand down over a scandal involving the sexual exploitation of as many as 1,400 children.