CULTURE AND SPORT

North Korea threatened Sunday to attack South Korea and the United States, as the allies prepared to start annual joint military drills.

"The Last Airbender" swept the board at the pre-Oscar Razzie awards for worst movies of 2010.

Ballet thriller "Black Swan" and British drama "The King's Speech" won major awards at the Spirit independent movie awards.

The US shuttle Discovery docked for its final visit at the orbiting International Space Station, where all five of the world's participating space agencies now have vehicles or equipment.

The UN Security Council unanimously ordered a travel and assets ban on Kadhafi's regime and a crimes against humanity investigation into the bloodshed blamed on the strongman.

Russia on Saturday successfully launched a satellite vital to the deployment of its own navigation system after the failure of an earlier attempt.

New Zealand's earthquake death toll surged to 145 with grave fears for another 200 missing, in what PM John Key said could be the nation's greatest tragedy.

Winning an Oscar will taste even sweeter for some films up for Hollywood's highest honors Sunday.

Irish voters looked certain Friday to oust their government in parliamentary elections dominated by the collapse of a once-booming economy.

An increasingly embattled Moamer Kadhafi said he would throw open Libya's arsenals to his supporters.

Protesters took to the streets across Iraq, with thousands flooding Baghdad's Tahrir Square as seven protesters died in clashes with police.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has fired seven senior interior ministry generals, the Kremlin said without immediately explaining the reason for the dismissals.

Baghdad was readying for what organisers have dubbed a "Day of Rage" on Friday after Nuri al-Maliki warned protesters to avoid rallies.

Libya's Moamer Kadhafi blamed drug-addled Al-Qaeda followers for a fast-spreading uprising in the oil-rich state.

The shuttle Discovery has blasted off on its final mission into orbit, marking the beginning of the end for what has been a central mission of the US space program.

Japanese automaker Toyota has recalled another 2.3 million vehicles to fix floor mat and carpet defects that could jam the accelerator.

Rescuers scouring Christchurch's ruins for survivors said there were no signs of life, as the death toll climbed to 113.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden to face rape and sexual assault claims, a British judge ruled on Thursday.

Russia will spend $650 billion in a massive new military procurement drive through 2020, a top official said.