Leaders of the world's biggest economies are set to tackle climate change on the final day of a weekend summit in Rome that is widely expected to set the tone for a major conference on the same issue taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, over the next two weeks.
Roads are blocked, shops are shut, phones are down and people are queueing for bread in Sudan a day after the army seized power in a coup that triggered unrest in which at least seven people were killed.
An example of the world's first postage stamp, the Penny Black, is being offered at auction, Sotheby's says, with a price estimate of up to STG6 million ($A11 million).
A senior US diplomat has urged North Korea to refrain from additional missile tests and to resume nuclear diplomacy, days after the North fired its first underwater-launched ballistic missile in two years.
Eleven Picasso paintings and other works that helped turn Las Vegas into an unlikely destination for art have been sold at auction for more than $US100 million ($A134 million).
North Korea has accused the United States of raising military tensions with China through its "reckless" backing of Taiwan, and said the growing US military presence in the region constitutes a potential threat.
South Korea's first domestically built space rocket has blasted off but failed to fully place a dummy satellite into orbit, delivering mixed results for a test launch that represents a major leap for the country's ambitious space plans.
A gang that kidnapped 17 members of a US-based missionary group has demanded a $US17 million ($A23 million) ransom for them, according to Haiti's justice minister, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
