18 December 2012 Last updated at 05:47 GMT
Newtown shootings: Gun debate flares as funerals begin
Two pro-gun US senators have called for changes to firearm laws, as the first victims of the 26 victims of Newtown school shootings were buried.
Democrats Mark Warner and Joe Manchin, who have "A" ratings from the National Rifle Association (NRA), now say action is needed after the massacre.
President Obama has held a meeting with three of his cabinet to discuss how the law might change.
Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto, both aged six, were buried on Monday.
They were among 20 children and six adults killed at Sandy Hook school in Connecticut.
£5bn illegally taken out of Zambia over past decade, says report
Campaigners say most of the siphoned money ends up in tax havens and can be traced to mining multinationals
More than £5bn has been illegally siphoned out of Zambia over 10 years, with most of it ending it up in offshore banks and tax havens, according to a report by financial transparency campaigners.
Washington-based group Global Financial Integrity blamed "crime, corruption and tax evasion" for the loss of $8.8bn (£5.4bn) from the resource-rich country.
The lost money, most of which can be traced to multinational coppermining operations, is equivalent to almost half of Zambia's GDP.
MIDDLE EAST
Israel outlines settlement plans
Israel has approved settlement plans in annexed territory. The move is likely to anger Palestinians and worry Israel's allies.
Israel on Monday gave the green light to controversial plans to build 1,500 homes in east Jerusalem.
"It reduced the plan from 1,600 to 1,500 and now the plan has to be resubmitted and meet the conditions in order to get final approval," said spokeswoman Efrat Orbach.
"It could take months more, or years," she added.
An Interior Ministry committee on Monday approved the new housing units in the Jewish Ramat Shlomo neighborhood. Palestinians claim part of their city as part of their rightful capital.
Although the approval is with immediate effect, the project must still go through subsequent planning stages, and it could be years before building starts.
Scores arrested for spreading apocalypse rumours
December 18, 2012 - 3:39PM
Jonathan Kaiman in Beijing
Claims that the world will end on Friday have gained traction in China, where the disaster movie 2012 was a box office hit
The end of the world may be nigh - unless you're in the Chinese Communist party. Over the past few weeks, the authorities have detained more than 90 people across seven provinces for spreading rumours that the world is about to end, laying bare the party's obsession with social stability and maintaining its tight grip on power.
Many people in China believe in the so-called "Mayan apocalypse" - slated to take place on 21 December, the last day on the Mayan long count calendar - because it was the central premise of the disaster film 2012, a box office sensation in China when it was released three years ago.
New Mexican president announces multipronged strategy against drug-related violence
Enrique Pena Nieto, the president of Mexico, announced Monday a tougher stance on violence related to drugs, including special units to deal with kidnappings, and more crime prevention.
By Lizbeth Diaz, Reuters / December 17, 2012
Mexico's new president on Monday unveiled his strategy to curb drug-related violence that blighted the rule of his predecessor, announcing special units to combat kidnapping and extortion and promising to focus more on crime prevention.
Enrique Pena Nieto took office on Dec. 1 pledging to restore stability to Mexico, which has been battered by brutal turf wars between drug cartels and their clashes with security forces.
More than 60,000 people died in the bloodletting under former president Felipe Calderon, who became embroiled in an escalating drug war after he sent in the army to bring hot spots to heel upon taking office in late 2006.
Bangladesh factory fire was act of sabotage, committee finds
By Emily Alpert
The deadly factory fire that claimed more than 100 lives last month in Bangladesh was an act of sabotage, not an accident, the head of a government committee said Monday.
The investigation found electrical shorts had not caused the fire, though it remained unclear exactly who was behind the crime and how it was carried out.
Inquiry leader Mainuddin Khandaker told the Associated Press that committee members believe that workers at the factory were involved in the fire. The committee recommended further investigation to identify the culprits.
The finding echoes claims made by the factory owner immediately after the blaze, which focused new attention on dire working conditions in Bangladesh’s rapidly growing garment sector.
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