Court in China issues record pollution fine

A high court in China's eastern Jiangsu province has fined six companies 160m yuan (£16.6m; $26m) for polluting rivers, state media report.

The Xinhua news agency said the fine was the highest ever in China as a result of public interest litigation against polluters.

Korea 'nut rage' executive arrested

Prosecutors have yet to press criminal charges against ex-Korean Air executive who threw tantrums over flight service.

Cho Hyun-ah, who forced crew member off the plane over improper serving of nuts, apologised after public outcry [AP]

South Korean prosecutors have arrested a former executive of the country's top airline, who came under heavy criticism over a controversial 'nut rage' incident early this month.

Bodies recovered from AirAsia crash site

First two bodies returned to Surabaya airport, but storms continue to delay search efforts in Java Sea.

Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the US have been involved in the search [AP]

The bodies of two victims of the AirAsia plane crash have been returned to Indonesia's Surabya airport from where the ill-fated jet took off three days ago before plunging into the Java Sea.
The two coffins were taken from an air force plane on Wednesday to a military ambulance to be transported to a hospital for examination and identification.

Many killed in Burundi-DRC border clashes

At least 22 people killed in fighting between army and members from an unidentified rebel group close to DRC border.

At least 22 people have been killed in clashes between Burundi's army and members of an unidentified rebel group near the Democratic Republic of Congo border, sources have said.
"The security forces are still combing the area where there was fighting and the valleys where the members of this armed group are hiding," a top Burundian army official told AFP on Wednesday, the day after the rebel group launched the attack on the central African nation.
Burundian officials and witnesses said the group of around 200 rebels crossed into Cibitoke province north of the capital Bujumbura overnight on Monday.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia hospitalised

Ninety-one-year-old King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz admitted to hospital for "medical checks," royal court says.

King Abdullah underwent two operations in October 2011 and November 2012 [Reuters]

Saudi Arabia's ailing King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, 91, has been admitted to hospital for "medical checks," the royal court has said.

Australia and NZ first to welcome 2015

Nearly 1.5 million people lined the famed Sydney Harbour to usher in the new year with spectacular fireworks.

Sydney as always was one of the first major cities in the world to usher in the new year amid frenzied fanfare and spectacular fireworks. Three hours before midnight, a 9-minute firework display was launched from the bridge deck and barges across the Sydney Harbor as a preliminary event for young children. The pyrotechnics display consisted of around 11,000 shells, 100,000 individual effects and 25,000 shooting comets at a cost of $6.06m, according to organisers. They also estimated that as many as a billion people around the world would have watched the display that was accompanied by live music. New Zealanders welcomed 2015 with a giant clock on Auckland's landmark Sky Tower counting down the minutes until the New Year. A huge fireworks display was then launched from the top of the tower at midnight. On the opposite side of the world, United States' New York city will drop its Waterford crystal ball at midnight, in a tradition being increasingly copied across the US with twists celebrating local icons. Amid the celebrations, some US cities were also on alert for  protests related to recent police killings of unarmed black men. No plans for major protests were announced in New York, where the police department is still mourning two officers shot to death in a patrol car. But security will be tight, with more personnel than usual.

Houthis killed in Yemen suicide bombing

More than 30 Houthi rebels killed in Ibb city in central Yemen while at least 23 dead in fighting elsewhere.

The Houthis seized large areas of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, in September [File: AP]

At least 23 Houthi rebels have been killed in a suicide bomb attack at a gathering in Ibb city of central Yemen, while fighting in Radaa district has killed at least 34 others.