Famed American painter Cy Twombly, widely known for his repetitive lines and scribbles on canvas, dies at the age of 83.

The countdown begins for Friday's scheduled final launch of a US space shuttle, but weather forecasters say there is a 60% chance that stormy weather will result in a delay.

Amnesty calls for an international investigation into the Syrian violence, accusing the regime of crimes against humanity against protesters.

Scientists in Australia find the skeleton of a 'giant wombat' which lived some two million years ago and would have been the size of a four-wheel-drive car.

Japan is to conduct stress tests on all its nuclear plants after the earthquake and tsunami led to a nuclear meltdown at Fukushima, reports say.

The Bahamas bans shark fishing and prohibits the sale, import and export of shark products, turning its territorial waters into a shark sanctuary.

A US teenager goes on trial in California accused of shooting dead a classmate because he was homosexual.

A Somali man seized abroad appears in court in New York, charged with assisting al-Qaeda and militants from Somalia's al-Shabab group.