The arrests came as fast as drops of monsoon rain. On Feb. 22, more than 100 Indonesian special police raided a terrorist training camp deep in the jungles of Sumatra island. Within days they captured 14 suspected Islamic militants from a shadowy group called al-Qaeda in Aceh that was believed to have been planning an imminent attack. Then, on March 9, the police converged on an Internet caf near the Indonesian capital Jakarta and engaged in a firefight that killed ...

Between 2003 and 2004, Marion Le, a Canberra-based lawyer, made regular trips to the remote island of Nauru in the South Pacific. But she wasn't going for a beach holiday. At the time, Nauru was part of the so-called Pacific Solution, Australia's policy of processing and detaining asylum seekers arriving by boat in offshore detention facilities. From 2001 to 2007, thousands of asylum seekers were in offshore detention centers while Australian immigration officials decided their fate. Le, who ...

Chicago native Ben loves his country and is proud to be an American. Yet the longtime resident of Melbourne has just relinquished his U.S. citizenship. "This is not something I did lightly or happily, but I saw no other choice," says Ben, a businessman who became an Australian citizen two years ago. His words resonate with another American expatriate, John, a business owner based near Lausanne, Switzerland, who like Ben asked that his last name be withheld ...

Movie star and singer Harry Connick Jr. made waves around the world by condemning, on air, an Australian television skit featuring a group of performers who wore blackface to impersonate the late pop star Michael Jackson and his brothers. The "Jackson Jive" performed the song "Can You Feel It" Wednesday wearing huge black wigs, blackface and one spangled glove each. The Michael Jackson impersonator wore whiteface. Connick was one of the judges on the program, a special ...

Justine Henin is following in the footsteps of fellow former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters by returning to competitive tennis. The 27-year-old, who retired 15 months ago, announced on Belgian television on Tuesday evening that she will compete on the WTA Tour next year. Henin, who has won seven Grand Slam titles, ended weeks of speculation by confirming rumors that she was ready to make her comeback. "I'm really happy and deeply moved to be able to announce tonight that ...

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the world needs a "new, sustainable growth model for the future" to reduce "massive financial imbalances" between consumer-driven economies in the West and developing economies in the East.

An Australian man has been arrested for allegedly fathering four children with a daughter he repeatedly raped for more than 30 years, local media reported Thursday.

Roger Federer has earned another Grand Slam finals appearance after beating Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open men's semi finals. The Swiss champion beat his Serb opponent 7-6 7-5 7-5, and will now meet Juan Martin del Potro in the final, according to the Press Association. Del Potro reached his first grand slam final after he crushed third seed Rafael Nadal in their U.S. Open semifinal on Sunday. The sixth seed from Argentina blew Nadal away at the ...

Top seed Roger Federer fended off a resurgent 12th seed Robin Soderling with two razor-thin tie-breaking sets to reach the U.S. Open semifinals 6-0, 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (8-6). Federer on Wednesday unleashed 28 aces and kept unforced errors to 26, compared with his Swedish opponent's 45, to pull the win. Federer succeeded in winning 86 percent on his first serve alone. The Swiss tennis player is seeking his sixth consecutive U.S. Open win, which would cap a year in ...

Federer on Wednesday unleashed 28 aces and kept unforced errors to 26, compared with his Swedish opponent's 45, to pull the win. Federer succeeded in winning 86 percent on his first serve alone. The Swiss tennis player is seeking his sixth consecutive U.S. Open win, which would cap a year in which he won the French Open and Wimbledon titles and was Australian Open runner up. Such a win would equal the feat set by American Bill Tilden ...