Number of child workers declines

The number of child laborers aged 14 or below in India dropped to 4.5 million in 2011 from 12.6 million a decade before, said the country's labor minister, urging lawmakers to approve planned changes to existing legislation to curb the problem.

Russia begins 'positive' military withdrawal

Russia began withdrawing its forces from Syria on Tuesday, a move hailed as a potentially "positive step" for a new round of UN-backed peace talks seeking to end the conflict.

Killer makes Nazi salute in court

Mass killer Anders Behring Breivik kicked off his return to court on Tuesday by making a Nazi salute during his bid to improve conditions inside the Norwegian prison where he is being held in isolation for massacring 77 people in 2011.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Mental health rules 'need review'

Seeking to ensure that suicidal pilots can't crash their jets, French authorities investigating last year's Germanwings crash are urging new reporting requirements for doctors treating pilots, and new measures to keep pilots from hiding mental health issues.

Alpaca farmers miss out on rich pickings

The 4 million alpacas that graze on the remote slopes of Peru's southeastern Andes wear warm coats of a silky fiber highly sought in the United States, Europe and Asia.

'Extremist' gunmen kill 16 people in beach attack

Gunmen from al-Qaida's North African branch killed 16 people, including four Europeans, at a beach resort town in Cote d'Ivoire on Sunday, the latest in a string of deadly attacks that have confirmed the extremists' growing reach in West Africa.

Merkel facing pressure over refugee policy after regional election 'debacle'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was facing fresh pressure on Monday after a regional election drubbing described as a "debacle" over her liberal refugee policy.

Army deployed to protect substations after third nationwide power failure in 6 months

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday ordered the deployment of the army to protect electricity substations connected to the national power grid following a nationwide power outage on Sunday.

Blogger to pay libel damages to leader

An activist blogger has been ordered to pay $109,000 in libel damages to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in installments over the next 17 years, his lawyer said on Monday.

Big protests across nation put leader's future in doubt

Mammoth demonstrations across Brazil are putting even more pressure on embattled President Dilma Rousseff as she heads into a tough week in her attempt to survive impeachment proceedings in Congress.

Rocket on mission to seek life on Mars

Two robotic spacecraft began a seven-month journey to Mars on Monday as part of a European-Russian unmanned space mission to sniff out leads to life on the Red Planet.