Severe flooding in Australia’s Northern Territory derailed a freight train on Tuesday. Reports said that two people were injured in the incident, which occurred on bridge near the town of Katherine, located south of Darwin. Much of the debris was spilled on the bridge whilst containers were pushed against its supporting columns. Two other people [...]

The number of people who lost their lives as a result of severe flooding in parts of the Philippines is approaching 1,500. The flash floods, which struck a week ago, were the result of Typhoon Washi and have devastated cities including Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. The problems have been caused by rivers bursting their [...]

Chinese news agencies have reported that the country’s aviation body may file a lawsuit against the EU. According to the reports, the China Air Transport Association (CATA) is considering legal action over the European Court of Justice’s ruling last Wednesday that international carriers flying to European airports are not exempt from its strict carbon cutting [...]

A Briton was attacked and killed on Sunday at a resort in Sri Lanka. The Foreign Office has confirmed that Kuram Shaikah Zaman on Christmas Day and said his next of kin have been advised, but the agency has released no other details. According to local police, the incident occurred early in the morning at [...]

The Nigerian student who attempted to blow up a flight between Amsterdam and Detroit on Christmas two years ago, has said he wants a new lawyer. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has written a letter to District Judge Nancy Edmunds in which he claims that his current standby attorney, Anthony Chambers, has not been supplying him with [...]

A New York investment banker and his family died in a private plane crash on Tuesday. Forty-five year-old Jeffrey Buckalew and Corrine, his wife, were flying their Socata TBM-700 single-engine private aircraft from the New York City area to Atlanta to visit relatives for the holidays. Their children, Meriwether and Jackson, as well as Buckalew’s [...]

The entrance to the Channel Tunnel near Calais, France now boasts a gigantic Olympic logo. The classic five-ring symbol, which is 31ft (9.4m) wide and 15ft (4.6m) high, was unveiled this week at the Coquelles tunnel on 20 December, marking the special date of 20/12. The rings were put together in Lille and later put [...]

A low-cost electric car rental scheme has officially launched in the French capital. Starting today, 250 quiet, four-seat Autolib electric vehicles are available around the city for public use. The initial batch of cars is slated to grow to 3,000 vehicles by mid-2012; vehicles will be available at ranks around Paris, most of which are [...]

SeaFrance ferry operations between Calais and Dover will soon restart after a Parisian court threw out a bid to acquire the bankrupt company. The Tribunal de Commerce court had previously declared the ferry firm bankrupt and would be able to continue services through 28 January. It was later given the task of governing the future [...]

The Foreign Office has lifted its advice asking UK nationals to avoid unessential travel to Bangkok and several provinces in Thailand. However in the wake of ongoing floods that come as a result of heavier than normal monsoonal rainfall, the agency is still urging Britons not to travel to 22 provinces in the central part of the [...]