Malaysia's foreign ministry has summoned the Singaporean high commissioner over allegations the city-state had helped the US and Australia tap telecommunications links in Asia for espionage, as a UN rights committee passed a "right to privacy" resolution pressed by Germany and Brazil.
ELSEWHERE:
WASHINGTON DC - Two US B-52 bombers have flown over a disputed area of the East China Sea without notifying Beijing, despite China's bid to create an expanded "air defence zone". China replied to Australian concern at developments in the region by saying: "We hope Australia can understand correctly, and make joint efforts to maintain the security of flight in the relevant airspace".
BANGKOK - Thai opposition protesters have besieged several more ministries in Bangkok to try to topple the government, as Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra faced a no-confidence motion in parliament and warned against "mob rule".
KIEV - Russia's president has called for European leaders to stop their "sharp words" over Ukraine's scrapping of a key EU pact, as thousands rallied in Kiev in a third day of protests.
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LONDON - A wolf on the loose in southern England has sparked panic after a pack of five animals escaped from a zoo.
WASHINGTON DC - At least 10 Haitian migrants have been killed and 100 others thrown into the water after an overloaded freighter capsized in the Bahamas, the US Coast Guard says.
ROME - Italian prosecutors have asked for a 30-year prison sentence for former US student Amanda Knox at a retrial where she is being judged in absentia for the murder of her housemate.
LOS ANGELES - Hugh Jackman will be master of ceremonies and host US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and plenty of other VIPs at Christmas in the US capital, a televised Christmas concert.
LONDON - British rock singer Ian Watkins, the former frontman of the band Lostprophets, has pleaded guilty to the attempted rape of a baby and a string of other child sex offences.
NEW DELHI - An Indian court has sentenced a married dentist couple to life in prison for killing their 14-year-old daughter and their housekeeper in a case that has dominated headlines and polarised the country.
