Brazilian Sports Minister Orlando Silva denies accusations he helped embezzle millions of dollars in public funds and promises to clear his name.

Iran's President Ahmadinejad says US allegations of a plot to assassinate a Saudi envoy are as false as its claims were about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

A Colombian girl, Nohora Valentina Munoz, whose kidnapping shocked the nation, has been released, President Juan Manuel Santos says.

Final preparations are taking place for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in return for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

More stormy weather forces another halt to efforts to pump oil off a leaking cargo ship grounded off New Zealand's coast.

China's economic expansion slows during the third quarter of the year as government measures to control inflation hurt growth.

Climate change poses "an immediate, growing and grave threat" to health and security around the world, according to an expert conference in London.

There has been a fall of nearly 40% in the number of deaths from malaria worldwide in the past decade, the World Health Organization says.