Syrian forces have killed more than 7,500 civilians since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad began, a UN official said, and Hillary Clinton, the top US diplomat, suggested the Syrian leader may be a war criminal.
New Zealand rescuers sifted through rubble in search of quake survivors, guided by sounds of crying and tapping, as the death toll in Christchurch climbed to 75, with many dozens still feared trapped inside collapsed buildings.
At least 32 people died when a high-speed train smashed into a stalled train in front of it in China's eastern Zhejiang province, state media said, raising new questions about the safety of the fast-growing rail network.
Rescue workers struggled to reach areas cut off by devastating floods and landslides that have killed at least 375 people in one of Brazil's worst natural disasters in decades.
Emergency rescuers recovered from the rubble eleven bodies of victims of three buildings that collapsed in downtown Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. Local media reported 26 families are still looking for their loved ones.