French judges say they have dropped an investigation into claims that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was poisoned.

What is said to be the most robust estimate yet finds there to be just over three trillion trees on Planet Earth.

Texas authorities say a new video shows that a man killed by police officers was holding what appears to be a knife when he was shot.

Five Chinese naval ships are spotted for the first time in the Bering Sea off the coast of the US state of Alaska, US defence officials say.

The American actor Dean Jones, best known for starring in Disney's The Love Bug, dies from Parkinson's disease at the age of 84.

Asian markets open higher on Thursday, spurred on by a rally on Wall Street and stronger commodity prices.

Researchers say that global efforts to cut carbon are far short of what's needed to avert dangerous climate change.

The UN says conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa are depriving more then 13 million children of an education.