Chuck Hagel resigns as US defence secretary
US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel has announced his resignation after two years at the helm, in a move that is sure to raise questions over the status of a slew of critical US military commitments - including the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the effort to contain the Ebola outbreak and the US Navy's continued engagement in Asia.
Mr Hagel made his shock announcement in the White House this morning with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden by his side.
And though the remarks from both the president and Mr Hagel were pleasant and full of praise for each other, neither offered an explanation for the sudden departure.
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India PM Narendra Modi's estranged wife, Jashodaben, 'concerned' about security cover
The estranged wife of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought details about her security cover on Monday, voicing concerns about her safety as her family demanded that she be treated as the country's "first lady".
The premier, who swept to power in May as head of the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, and Jashodaben were wed in an arranged marriage as teenagers.
But his family says it was only a "formal ritual" as Modi left her soon after. They were never divorced.
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Businessman labelled paedophile and murderer online settles with Google
Google Inc said on Monday it had reached a settlement with a British businessman over defamatory postings in its search results describing him as a paedophile, a murderer and a money-launderer.
Former Morgan Stanley banker Daniel Hegglin, who said he was subjected to years of defamation by unknown users, had sued the Internet giant to have it block links to the abusive material that appeared on several thousand websites.
Google had asked him to provide a list of web links to be removed. Calling that an incomplete solution, Hegglin asked the High Court of Justice in England and Wales to order Google to ensure the material did not appear in its search results.
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Golf: Rookie sensation Lydia Ko faces 'tough' task to match 2014
New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko knows full well that she will face a formidable challenge next year in trying to replicate, at the very least, her astonishingly successful rookie campaign on the LPGA Tour.
The 17-year-old capped a storming 2014 season by clinching her third victory in a gripping three-way playoff for the Tour Championship on Sunday at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
The youngest player in the elite field, Ko also claimed the circuit's inaugural Race to CME Globe title and its US$1 million (S$1.3 million) bonus for the biggest payday in women's golf.
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Sting tries to save his Last Ship musical from sinking on Broadway
British rock star Sting is joining the cast of his deeply personal Broadway musical The Last Ship, calling it a bold gamble to save the show from sinking.
Sting, 63, will appear from Dec 9 to Jan 10 next year as the cynical foreman of a struggling shipyard in his northeast England hometown of Wallsend, producers said on Monday.
The move follows tepid sales and mixed reviews for Sting's first Broadway musical, which opened on Sept 29 after five years in the making.
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