Passers-by in Tokyo's busy Akasaka district have started to notice something odd about a 40-floor hotel -- it has shrunk to about half its original height.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be under pressure when he meets US President Barack Obama this week to pledge progress on a long-stalled treaty to prevent the snatching of children by a Japanese parent in international divorce cases.

Canada's trade deficit was halved to Can$901 million (US$898 million) in December, as a big drop in imports outweighed the impact of fewer exports, a government agency said Friday.

A Somali-US man was found guilty of plotting to blow up a crowded US Christmas tree ceremony attended by thousands, despite his claims that he was trapped by an FBI sting operation.

A Somali-American was found guilty Thursday over an alleged plot to blow up a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the northwestern US state of Oregon more than two years ago.

The jury in the trial of a Somali-American accused of plotting to blow up a Christmas tree ceremony retired to consider its verdict after lawyers made closing arguments.

The five Indian crew members of an oil tanker who were kidnapped last month after heavily armed pirates stormed their vessel off Nigeria's coast have been released, their employer said Saturday.

A British man who bit off the tip of a love rival's finger at a school play was on Friday sentenced to 11 months in jail.

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific on Tuesday asked its cabin crew to volunteer for early retirement as part of its cost-cutting measures to boost profitability amid a global slowdown.

European share trading posted mixed results on Friday, with London gaining on Chinese growth data that beat expectations while Frankfurt and Paris slipped back on disappointing European and US figures.

The Obama girls have quietly made a mark of their own: shielded from public over-exposure, they are growing up with rules and responsibilities and making it look easy, even though they live in the White House.

Oprah Winfrey's exclusive interview with Lance Armstrong is a coup for the talk show diva as she strives to pull her upstart OWN network to the front of the crowded TV peloton.

The US economy has picked up pace since November, with Christmas sales modestly stronger and New York and New Jersey rebounding from Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Reserve's Beige Book showed Wednesday.

Iconic British music retailer HMV was fighting for survival on Tuesday after slumping into administration, but its boss expressed hope the high-street giant would manage to secure its future.

FBI tactics in investigating a Somali-American accused of plotting to blow up a US Christmas tree lighting ceremony took center stage, as undercover agents began testifying.

FBI tactics in investigating a Somali-American accused of plotting to blow up a US Christmas tree lighting ceremony took center stage, as undercover agents began testifying.

Former US president George H.W. Bush was released from hospital on Monday following more than two months of treatment for bronchitis, a bacterial infection and a persistent cough.

Nigeria's military on Sunday claimed to have arrested a key member of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram after a reward of some $160,000 had recently been offered for his capture.

Former US president George H.W. Bush could be released from hospital as soon as this week, his spokesman said Sunday, following recent treatment for bronchitis.

It is hard to picture the scene in 21st-century Europe, but as debt-ridden Portugal heads into a new year of economic crisis, schools are stepping in to feed children who would otherwise go hungry at home.