Greeks defy Europe with overwhelming referendum 'No'
Greeks voted overwhelmingly 'No' on Sunday in a historic bailout referendum, partial results showed, defying warnings from across Europe that rejecting new austerity terms for fresh financial aid would set their country on a path out of the euro.
With nearly a fifth of the votes counted, official figures showed 60.4 per cent of Greeks on course to reject a bailout offer from creditors that was the official issue of the ballot. The figures showed the Yes vote drew 40.1 per cent.
Well-wishers swoon as Britain's Princess Charlotte christened
Britain's Princess Charlotte, the baby daughter of Prince William and his wife Kate, was christened on Sunday as crowds gathered to witness the family's first public outing together since her birth in May.
The ceremony took place at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate in eastern England, where William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have a country home.
Dalai Lama birthday celebrations draw support, protests in US
A three-day celebration marking the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday kicked off Sunday, as thousands of supporters - and some protesters - gathered in Anaheim, California to hear the spiritual leader speak.
The Dalai Lama, who turns 80 on Monday, was guest of honor at the Global Compassion Summit at the Honda Center in Anaheim, south of Los Angeles, speaking on "awakening compassion" and the "transformative power of creativity and art." His fans said they were delighted to mark the occasion with the Tibetan spiritual leader.
Pope comes 'home' to South America to defend planet and the poor
Laughing as his hat flew off in the Andean highland wind, Pope Francis flew into Ecuador on Sunday to start a "homecoming" tour of South America, where he will champion the rights of the poor and the planet.
His visit to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay - three of the region's poorest and smallest countries - is Francis' first abroad since his landmark encyclical urging an end to man's degradation of the global environment. "I thank God for having allowed me to return to Latin America and to be here with you today in this beautiful land of Ecuador," the Argentine-born pontiff said in a speech on the runway after his 13-hour flight from Rome.
Beijing looks fair bet for 2022 Winter Games, despite lack of enthusiasm
Poorly attended news conferences, a meagre global social media footprint and lack of much obvious enthusiasm on the ground; Beijing looks like an improbable front-runner to win the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
With Oslo dropping out of the race last year, citing worries over costs and the lack of popular support, Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Summer Games to wide acclaim, is left facing the Kazakh city of Almaty.
