ON THE FRONTLINE: US army soldiers shield themselves from swirling dust generated by a Chinook CH-47F transport helicopter at Wilderness FOB in Paktya province, Afghanistan.

Al Qaeda claims attack on CIA

Al Qaeda's Afghan wing has claimed last week's attack at a US base in Afghanistan in which a double agent turned suicide bomber.

Mid East still on Obama's agenda

The Obama administration is gearing up for a fresh attempt to relaunch stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after the effort hit a dead end last year.

Tribesmen kill 139 in south Sudan

Nuer fighters killed at least 139 members of a rival tribe in an attack in a remote area of southern Sudan, an official said on Thursday.

Chopstick removed from boy's brain

A 14-month-old boy in China is recovering after doctors removed a chopstick from his brain that accidentally poked up through his nose, a spokesman for the local hospital said Thursday.

Mechanic takes Lamborghini for a joy ride

A Perth doctor is unable to recover his $A200,000 ($NZ249.82) Lamborghini after it was seized by police who caught his mechanic driving it at speeds up to 70km/h over the limit.

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Balloon boy dad denies hoax

Four children die in Afghan blast

Yemen arrests three al Qaeda militants

China coal mine fire kills 25

Funeral home sued over 'brain in bag'

Gunmen kill six at Egypt church

NZ calls for calm in 'whale war'

Washed up body is NZ teen - Queensland police

Ad uses Obama image without permission

Nigerian in jet bomb plot indicted

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Video: Congo volcanic eruption

Whale wars in Antarctica

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Australia

Body is NZ teen - police

Queensland police have confirmed a body which washed up this morning on the Gold Coast is missing New Zealand teenager Richard Doyle.

Grandson witnesses murder

A man has been remanded in custody to appear in a Melbourne court on Thursday charged with murder after a grandfather was bludgeoned to death in front of his grandson.

Missing lottery winner

In 2006, Abraham Shakespeare - a truck driver's assistant who lived with his mother - won US$30 million (NZ$41.78 million) in the Florida lottery. His good fortune may have cost him his life.

Funeral home sued over 'brain in bag'

Members of an American family are suing a funeral home, claiming their mother's brain was sent home in a bag of personal effects given to them after her death.

Heiress 'lived in rat-infested house'

Balloon boy dad denies hoax

The father of 'Balloon Boy' Falcon Heene has insisted in an interview that the event wasn't a hoax.

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Europe

Irish leader's cheating wife attempted suicide

The wife of Northern Irish First Minister Peter Robinson says she tried to kill herself last year after being unfaithful to her husband.

Test goes awry as bomb parts taken on jet

A Slovak man unwittingly carried hidden explosives on board a weekend flight to Dublin after a Slovakian airport-security test went awry.

Irish militants lay down weapons

UK PM's leadership questioned

Two former cabinet ministers have called for a secret ballot of MPs to decide if UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown should lead the Labour Party into an election due by June.

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Middle East

Gunmen kill six at Egypt church

Gunmen have killed at least six people in a drive-by shooting outside a church in southern Egypt, as worshippers left a midnight Mass for Coptic Christmas.

World's tallest building opens

Dubai has opened the world's tallest skyscraper in a blaze of fireworks, then added a final flourish by renaming the tower for the head of neighbouring Abu Dhabi, whose billions bailed out Dubai last year.

Yemen kills 'embassy militants'

Sharon still comatose

Four children die in Afghan blast

An explosion tore through a group of children gathered around foreign soldiers visiting a US-funded road project, killing four children and a policeman and wounding many more.

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Asia

Latest Chinese milk scandal

China's deadly toxic milk scandal has blown up again, amidst reports of a high level cover-up and revelations a Shanghai dairy company has been closed after melamine was found in its products.