Three sailors die and a fourth is missing during a California yacht race, only weeks after another fatal accident off the same coast.

Syria's UN observer mission head warns that even 1,000 observers could not stop the violence in the country, so peace must be a joint effort.

Scientists in Peru are told told to investigate the mysterious deaths of hundreds of pelicans on the coast in the north of the country.

The Ugandan army says the Lord's Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony is being supported and supplied by the Sudanese government.

The International Labour Organization warns that the global employment situation is "alarming" and unlikely to improve soon.

UN head Ban Ki-moon, who is meeting senior officials and addressing the parliament in Burma, says he feels "optimistic", but warns of "hard work ahead".

Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda is meeting US President Barack Obama in Washington to boost ties amid tension over North Korea's recent rocket launch.

Clive Palmer, one of Australia's richest men, is commissioning a Chinese state-owned company to build a 21st Century version of the Titanic.