Topic: Sydney (Australia)

The world begins celebrating 2013

Australia and Asian nations are celebrating the New Year in style, from fireworks in Sydney and Hong Kong to a street party in Indonesia. Around the world, people are greeting 2013 with optimism.

Great Expectations: The Sons and Daughters of Charles Dickens

Despite a world-renowned father and merry times at Christmas, the lives of the 10 children born to Charles Dickens were anything but easy.

Nurse left suicide note, Aussie radio sets up $525,000 fund (+video)

Nurse left suicide note: Jacintha Saldanha, a hospital nurse, left a suicide note, report British media. Will the note clear the Australian DJs of responsibility for her death or reinforce public opinion?

Four Olympians lose medals for steroid use at Athens

Four Olympians lose medals: Four track and field athletes from eastern Europe were ordered to return their medals won in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.  The retroactive tests bring the number of Athens Olympians to lose medals to 31, including 11 medal winners and three gold medalists.

New Jersey spruce survives Sandy, lights up Rockefeller Center

An 80-foot tall Norway spruce was decked out with 30,000 lights in New York City's Rockefeller Center. The Christmas tree-lighting ceremony goes back to 1933.

Global News Blog
Red algae bloom closes Sydney's beaches, but probably not for long

Bloody waters before summer has even started may sound like a drag on tourism, but it's a mere drop in the sea for Australia.

Horizons
iPad Mini launches to middling lines, muted expectations

The iPad Mini is here. So what kind of sales performance will the new Apple device turn in? 

World's longest flight: cancelled

World's longest commercial flight, from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey, is being cancelled by Singapore Airlines. The world's longest flight, flown in a gas-guzzling Airbus A340-500s, proved too costly for the airline. 

Reverse brain drain: China engineers incentives for “brain gain”

Chinese who found it hard to fit in at the water cooler abroad feel newly valued at home as China creates a reverse brain drain of financial incentives for native talent to return.

Chapter & Verse
Booker Prize nominee Tan Twan Eng talks about his novel 'The Garden of Evening Mists'

Malaysian writer Tan Twan Eng: how to write historical novels that are also timeless.

Stir It Up!
Humble food meets high art

'Art + Food: Beyond the Still Life' in Sydney, Australia, makes connections between consumerism, food production, and cultural identity. 

Bufori cars: What makes the Malaysian luxury auto so special?

Bufori cars have emerged as one of the most sought-after luxury items among Asia's ultra-rich. 

Asian stocks, boosted by stimulus, fall on economic outlook

Asian stock markets drift lower as concerns rise about global economic weakness. Stock market optimism over stimulus from Fed and other central banks seems to be fading. 

Apple's iPhone 5 sales surge circles the globe (+video)

iPhone 5 buyers lined up outside of stores from Hong Kong to London to New York. The iPhone 5 goes on sale in 9 countries Friday, and 22 more next week.

Apple iPhone 5 draws big crowds in Asia

Apple iPhone 5 gives the consumer giant a huge boost as holiday season approaches. Carriers in Asia report record demand on first day iPhone 5 goes on sale.

As Antarctic ice streams speed up, major ice melt triggered inland

New simulation results may also add to forecasts about Antarctica's contribution to global sea levels, researchers pointed out.

'Tootsie': 5 stories from the set

Susan Dworkin's behind-the-scenes look 'Making Tootsie' was reissued this year for the movie's thirtieth anniversary – here are five glimpses behind the scenes.

Russian feminist band Pussy Riot found guilty of hooliganism

The sentence has yet to be issued, the verdict is spoken: The three Russian women are guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. Pussy Riot had stormed the altar of Moscow's cathedral in February. The charges raised concern abroad about freedom of speech in Russia.

Olympic moms: 13 mothers compete for Team USA

The “Celebrating Moms” series of commercials by Proctor & Gamble during Olympic coverage is a tear-jerking ode to sacrifices mothers make to support their kids’ athletic careers. But what about athletes who are mothers, themselves?

Elite athlete moms have the same run-of-the-mill work/life balance as the rest of us. But these 13 Olympic moms do put parenting – both its challenges and rewards – in a new perspective.

Samsung Galaxy phones v. Apple iPhones? In court, advantage Apple.

Samsung Galaxy phones and Apple iPhones and iPads will be exhibits A and B in a US patent case that begins July 30. Despite Samsung Galaxy phones' lead in the marketplace, Apple has the upper hand in court.

London 2012 diving: China takes gold, USA silver in 3-meter synchronized

London 2012 diving: Wu Minxia and He Zi won the first diving gold medal for China Sunday. Abby Johnston and Kelci Bryant of Team USA finished second.

Saudi Olympic athlete hit by judo head scarf ban: Safety or discrimination? (+video)

For the first time, Saudi Arabia sent women athletes to the Olympics, but now judo officials say one can't compete with a head scarf, citing safety concerns.

15 biggest moments for women in the Olympics

Since 1900, when women first began competing in the Olympic Games, there have been many unforgettable moments. 

Japanese Olympic cyclist trying to energize evacuees of quake-ravaged town

Kazunari Watanabe comes from the Japanese coastal town of Futaba, near the earthquake and tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. His fellow residents remain refugees over a year after the disaster.

US stocks: Rally unlikely to last. Buy gold?

US stocks rising on 'hopes and prayers,' analysts says. If economic weakness continues, rally in US stocks likely to last hours or days, not months.