A 180 centimeter monitor lizard, a fruit-eating reptile, has been found for the first time in the forests in northern Philippines.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has warned that the transfer of the Persian cheetah from Iran to India could endanger the already threatened species.

Iranian police have seized more than 557 tonnes of illicit drugs throughout the country in the past calendar year (ending on March 20), a senior commander says.

Turkey has launched its first round-the-clock Arabic TV channel, El Turkiye, hoping that the move will further enhance its ties with its Arab neighbors.

An American schoolgirl, who was handcuffed and arrested by the police for doodling on her classroom desk, is suing the New York City authorities for $1m in damages.

Rescue workers have found more than 115 miners out of 153 that were trapped more than a week in northern Chinese province of Shanxi.

The plight of the Vatican continues to draw worldwide attention as revelations surface that the late pope John Paul II had allegedly blocked an investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct by Catholic priests.

Jewish leaders and communities have cried out against Vatican's 'insulting' comparison of attacks on the Catholic Church over the pedophile priest scandal to anti-Semitism.

A new US government policy aims to lift a decades-old ban to permit pilots taking four types of antidepressants to fly, officials say.

The Vatican's problems seem to have no end as the Pope's personal preacher draws the wrath of Jewish groups after comparing criticism of the Holy See to “anti-Semitism.”

A group of inmates interned at detention camp on the US Naval Base Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have reportedly set aside some of their food rations as a donation to Haiti's earthquake victims.

At least four people have been killed and three others injured after an explosion razed parts of an oil refinery in the US State of Washington.

A Turkish man smashes record for fastest speed for a car driven blindfolded or blind, earning a place in the Guinness World Records.

Following scandals in Germany, Ireland and the United States, cases of child abuse by Catholic clergies have been reported in France.

At least 12 workers have been killed and 32 others trapped underground following a gas explosion at a coal mine in central China.

A Swedish tramp, who collected tin cans and ate left-over food from rubbish bins, left a surprised relative, upon his death, a fortune worth £1 million ($1.65 million).

A well known Hindu guru , who has thousands of followers across India, has resigned after becoming involved in a sex scandal.

An endangered Iranian species will receive full protection from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES).

British author David Almond has won the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award of the international Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).

European Union (EU) authorities banned all airlines from Sudan and the Philippines from entering the EU.

A copy of the first edition of the Superman comic book from 1938 was sold for a record $1.5 million on March 29, setting a new high the price paid for a comic.

Egyptian archaeologists have found an ancient door to the afterlife near the Karnak temple in the southern city of Luxor.

An Iranian health official has warned about a new wave of swine flu across the country in the spring with predicted A-H1N1 virus mutation.

Top-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland has fought off Frenchman Florent Serra 2-0 in the third round of the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open.

Two Japanese architects have won the 2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize for using everyday building materials to create ethereal structures.

Rescue teams are trying to reach more than 150 trapped workers after a coal mine flooded in northern China.

A Chinese theme park has attracted dozens of tourists and criticisms for its unique fairytale performances by dwarfs.

The fourth annual Earth Hour has started in Australia, as more than 120 countries are preparing to join the hour-long symbolic switch-off.

At least 25 people have been injured in a roller coaster incident which took place in an amusement park in the central Iranian town of Shahinshahr.

As millions of Iranians take to the roads for the New Year holidays, more motorists fall victims to the heavier traffic and dangerous driving habits.

At least two Iranian pilgrims have been killed and 35 others injured after their coach overturned near the Syrian capital Damascus.

Eleven people were killed in a deadly highway collision in the US state of Kentucky when a heavy truck smashed into a passenger-loaded vehicle.

The UK's Catholic leader has defended Pope Benedict XVI against allegations that he has covered up child sex abuse in the past, saying the pontiff "is not an idle observer."

140 people in the Iranian island of Qeshm were taken ill after eating a celebratory dinner of rotten chicken.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says that the rate of people dying from unsafe water exceeds all forms of violence, including war.

As Iranians are celebrating the New Year, 129 car accidents over the past 24 hours across the country, have claimed the lives of 29 people and injured 207 others.

An explosion at a commercial center in the Iranian city of Karaj has left at least three people injured, causing damages to nearby buildings.

A Red Cross report reveals 900 million people across the globe have no access to safe drinking water as the world marks the World Water Day.

A Russian passenger plane with only crew on board has crash landed in a forest near Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport.

The Victoria & Albert Museum has mounted its first major exhibition of quilts, exploring the 300-year history of British quilt-making.

Groups representing victims of Pedophile Catholic priests have expressed deep disappointment over Pope Benedict XVI's pastoral letter of apology to the “Irish faithful.”

People in the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere gear up to celebrate Nowruz, as we reach the last hours of the year 1388 on the Iranian calendar.

The Vatican is to publish later on Saturday a letter from Pope Benedict XVI to Irish Catholics, in which he apologizes for the sex abuse by priests.

Two Iranian policemen have been killed in a clash with armed drug traffickers in the eastern part of the country, a report says.

Some 11 people have been killed and 60 more injured during 41 traffic accidents on Iranian roads and highways on the eve of new Iranian year, Nowruz.

Despite rapid economic growth in many countries and continued global efforts to alleviate poverty, world slums are still expanding, a UN biennial report says.

A cargo plane with engine and landing gear problems has successfully performed an emergency landing on the ice-covered Lake Ulemiste outside the Estonian capital, Tallinn.

A new survey shows that the majority of British youngsters seek advice from the internet rather than their parents or friends.

Filming of the movie version of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit will begin in New Zealand in July, says actor Sir Ian McKellen.

The Martin Gropius Bau gallery has mounted an exhibition of relics from the Aga Khan's collection of Islamic art in the German capital of Berlin.

The head of the Irish Catholic Church has expressed his apology over the case of sex abuse involving a priest, acknowledging that the Church's response has been inadequate.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent a message on the occasion of the 1st International Day of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

At least twelve people have been killed in the Angolan capital Luanda, after homes collapsed due to continuous downpours.

The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland is facing further pressure to step down after admitting he knew about the sexual abuse of two children.

When on March 15, 1985 symbolics.com was registered as the first dotcom domain name, no one knew it would change the entire commercial system of the World Wide Web.

At least 25 people have lost their lives after an electrical fault caused a methane explosion at a coal mine in China's central Henan province.

The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland has rejected calls to resign after being accused of covering up allegations of child abuse in the 1970s.

A strong cyclone has slammed into Fiji's northern islands, battering buildings and crops and causing thousands of people to flee their homes, officials say.

At least three people died and a dozen people were injured after an avalanche struck a large crowd of snowmobilers in Canada's Rocky Mountains.

A 92-year-old Sydney woman has been charged with murdering her 98-year-old husband in their home in the Surry Hills area of Sydney.