The UN is becoming increasingly reliant on private military and security firms, according to a report by non-governmental group, the Global Policy Forum.

Iranian-Canadians say a prominent bank cancelled their accounts without offering a chance to address suspicions they had violated financial sanctions.

Syria's ambassador to Iraq says he has defected to the opposition - the first senior diplomat to abandon the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Brazil's upper house expels Demostenes Torres, an independent senator, over allegations that he has links with a gambling ring.

Peru launches a US-funded scheme aimed at reducing child labour in the country, where almost a third of children have to work for a living.

Barack Obama eases restrictions on US firms investing in Burma, but insists that rights abusers will still be subject to sanctions.

Aid agencies operating in a refugee camp near Kenya's Somali border warn they are facing a funding shortfall, putting tens of thousands at risk.

Dogs' ancestral origins reveal why they evolved to "love" meat and bones, according to scientists.