LONDON - UNEMPLOYMENT in the United Kingdom rose to 6.3 per cent in the three months ending Dec 31, up from 6.1 per cent in the three months through November, the government said on Wednesday.
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits rose by 73,800 to 1.23 million, the Office for National Statistics said.
SYDNEY - ONE turtle's shell melted and fused to its body, while a baby wallaby's ears were fried to a crisp. Kangaroos seared their feet, and birds scorched by Australia's worst-ever wildfires plummeted from the sky.
More than 180 people were killed in the weekend's fires, and on Wednesday, the scope of the devastation to Australia's wildlife began to emerge with officials estimating millions of animals also perished in the inferno.
JAKARTA - AN INDONESIAN court rejected on Wednesday a civil corruption case against the youngest son of ex-president Suharto involving the alleged misuse of US$400 million (S$603 million) in state funds.
The Central Jakarta district court cleared Hutomo Mandala Putra, popularly known as Tommy Suharto, of government allegations that he illegally sold off assets to avoid paying debts to the state.
BEIJING - CHINA'S exports plunged 17.5 per cent in January as the drop in the country's trade accelerated, adding to the threat of more job losses and increasing pressure on Beijing to boost slumping economic growth.
It was the third straight month that exports have declined but January's fall from the year-earlier month was far sharper than December's 2.8 per cent contraction, according to the customs agency data released on Tuesday.
