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Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai to judge Shanghai festival

CANNES winning Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai will head the jury at the Shanghai International Film Festival later this month. Read

Double daredevil stunt on New York skyscraper

A MANHATTAN skyscraper that is home to The New York Times became the site of twin daredevil stunts, with two men scaling the 52-story office tower within a matter of hours. Read

Diplomats confronted in Zimbabwe

A MOB of Zimbabwe “war veterans,” a group of often violent loyalists to President Robert Mugabe, waylaid a convoy of American and British diplomats, beating a local staffer, slashing tires and threatening to burn the envoys, the US Embassy said. Read

Terror plot foiled in Pakistan

PAKISTAN authorities have seized two vehicles carrying large amounts of explosives, foiling a possible terror plot near Pakistan’s capital, officials said. Read

US ships leave after Burma refuses aid

A TOP US military commander says American Navy ships off Burma’s coast will leave the area after failing to get the junta’s permission to help with cyclone relief efforts. Read

Police make arrests after attack in Indonesian capital

POLICE say they are questioning 57 members of a hardline Muslim group following a bloody attack on an interfaith rally in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Read

Syria refuses to allow nuclear watchdog in

SYRIA has told fellow Arab countries that it will not permit an International Atomic Energy Agency probe to extend beyond a site bombed by Israel, despite agency interest in three other suspect locations, diplomats say. Read

Chinese police block access to quake hit school

CHINESE police blocked access today to a school that collapsed in last month’s earthquake, a day after they broke up a protest by parents of students who died in the disaster. Read

Summer palace for Nepal's king

A SENIOR minister says the government is likely to allow Nepal’s deposed king to live in the summer palace just northwest of the capital, Katmandu. Read

Chinese quake soldiers injured in disinfectant blaze

A STOCKPILE of chemicals being used to disinfect an earthquake-shattered Chinese town caught fire injuring soldiers. Read

International agreement to ban cluster bombs

DIPLOMATS from more than 100 countries unanimously passed a treaty last night to ban the use of cluster bombs around the world. Delegates in Dublin also agreed to destroy any stockpiles in the next eight years. Read

Babies rescued in Malaysia

Malaysian police say they have rescued four babies from suspected infant traffickers who bought newborns from poor mothers and sold them to childless couples. Read

Warlord arrested in Belgium

Former Congolese warlord and ex-presidential candidate Jean-Pierre Bemba has been arrested in Brussels on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Read

Turning point in Burma

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he is hopeful “a turning point” had been reached in tackling Burma’s cyclone crisis as an international conference convened to pledge funds for 2.4 million survivors in need of aid. Read

Pensioner climbs Everest

A 76-year-old Nepalese man has become the oldest person to climb Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. Read

Cruise companies counting cost

Cruise companies are counting on currency considerations to keep holidays at sea popular. Read

Obama toughens stance on Cuba

Democratic front-runner Barack Obama sought to toughen his position on meeting with such US foes as Cuba’s Raul Castro, outlining his conditions in a delicate pitch aimed at winning over an important voting bloc in the November presidential elections. Read