US regulators demand auto parts maker Takata back nationwide airbag recall

US regulators on Wednesday pressured Japanese auto parts maker Takata to expand its recall of potentially defective airbags across the United States, or risk up to US$35 million (S$45 million) in financial penalties.

The target of civil and criminal probes in the United States over its airbags, which can explode and send deadly shrapnel into the car's occupants, Takata so far has only supported auto-safety recalls in a handful of states like Florida and Hawaii where high humidity appears to contribute to the ruptures.

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Brothers are first Britons to be convicted for attending militant training camp in Syria

Two brothers from London on Wednesday became the first Britons to be convicted for attending a militant training camp in Syria as Western governments increasingly warn of the threat posed by fighters returning from conflicts in the Middle East.

Finding them guilty of conspiracy to attend a terrorist training camp, the judge at London's Old Bailey sentenced Mohommod Hassin Nawaz, 31, and his 23-year-old brother Hamza Nawaz, to four and 3 1/2 years in jail respectively.

The sentence comes as the British government brings in a new security Bill to tackle Britons trying to travel to Syria and Iraq, and to deal with returning fighters, who it says pose a serious risk to national security.

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Canada radio host Jian Ghomeshi charged with sexual assault

Former syndicated radio host Jian Ghomeshi was charged Wednesday with sexual assault after several women came forward with abuse allegations that led to his recent firing by Canada's public broadcaster.

Ghomeshi, 47, turned himself into Toronto police to face the charges - four counts of sexual assault and one of choking, according to a Toronto police statement.

Following a brief court appearance in which he was granted bail, he said through his lawyer that he would plead not guilty.

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Murder case opens against Nigerian child-bride

Nigerian prosecutors opened their case on Wednesday against a 14-year-old girl accused of murdering her 35-year-old husband, with testimony from a child allegedly sent to buy the murder weapon: rat poison.

Wasila Tasi'u, from a poor, rural family in the mainly Muslim north, could face the death penalty if convicted in a case that has outraged rights activists who say a girl who married a man more than twice her age should be treated as a victim, not a criminal.

Prosecutor Lamido Abba Soron-Dinki's first witness was a seven-year-old girl identified as Hamziyya, who was living in the same house as Tasi'u and her husband Umar Sani, when the child-bride allegedly laced his food with rat poison.

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Formula One: Double points to be scrapped next year, say reports

The controversial "double points" system in the final Formula One Grand Prix of the season will be abandoned next year, British magazine Autosport reported on Wednesday.

The Formula One Commission, meeting in Geneva, has decided to overturn the initiative by Bernie Ecclestone, designed to add spice to the season-ending race, the magazine said.

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