When So was 13, she was stolen from her Vietnamese mountain town and sold in China. Just months before, her mother Do had sold herself across the border to save her life.

North Korea's move to suspend nuclear and missile tests effective immediately is being welcomed by global leaders as a step in the right direction, but Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says the rogue nation has made promises in the past and then "failed to honour them".

A team of international chemical weapons inspectors departs for the Syrian town of Douma, the site of an alleged chemical weapons attack that prompted a retaliatory missile strike by the US, UK and France.

Actress Allison Mack, best known for her role as Clark Kent's confidant Chloe in the television series Smallville, pleads not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit forced labour in relation to an upstate New York sex cult.

Swedish producer and DJ Avicii's dance music garnered a mass appeal by bringing out the physicality of his audience and drawing different kinds of music fans together, writes Paul Donoughue.

Oscar award-winning actress Natalie Portman says she chose not to attend a ceremony in Israel to accept a million-dollar prize because she did not want to be seen as supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was scheduled to speak at the event.

A Mexican judge blocks a company associated with US toymaker Mattel Incorporation from commercialising the image of artist Frida Kahlo, her family says, as it seeks to halt sales of a Barbie doll styled after the influential artist.

Donald Trump says The New York Times is "going out of their way to destroy Michael Cohen and his relationship with me in the hope that he will flip", as the US Government continues to investigate Mr Cohen's business dealings.

Having had more than 160 descendants, great-great-great-grandmother Nabi Tajima dies in hospital, leaving another Japanese woman to become the world's oldest person.

Australia's Ben Simmons becomes just the fifth rookie in NBA history to post a playoffs triple-double — and the first since 1980 — as he helps the 76ers edge the Miami Heat to take a 3-1 series lead.

Supermarket shoppers in the western German city of Aachen step out of their comfort zone to sample burgers made of buffalo worms.

Barbara Bush is described as the "first lady of the greatest generation" at her funeral, which was attended by four former US presidents and hundreds of other people who filled the church with laughter as much as tears.

Papua New Guineans living with HIV may die if critical anti-retroviral drugs used to treat the virus are not restocked soon, a member of the local HIV advocacy body warns.

Married at First Sight has captured the attention of Australians who are drawn to the drama between complete strangers matched and made to live together as a couple. But the concept was not far from how marriages worked in China just over half a century ago.

Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group says a man who was gunned down in Malaysia by two men on a motorbike was an important member of the organisation. Malaysian police are investigating involvement of "foreign agents" in the killing.

Austin Powers co-star Mike Myers hails Verne Troyer as a "beacon of positivity" and the "consummate professional" after he dies aged 49.

India's cabinet approves the death penalty for rapists of girls below the age of 12, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds an emergency meeting in response to nationwide outrage in the wake of a series of cases.

New Zealand's Trent Boult takes an incredible one-handed catch to dismiss Virat Kohli, stopping himself dead barely centimetres from the boundary rope.

Thousands of fans gather in central Stockholm to honour Avicii with a moment of silence followed by a memorial dance party as DJ Kygo ends his Coachella set with a heartfelt tribute to his "biggest musical inspiration".

Korean Air executive Cho Hyun-ah, who made global headlines in 2014 when she ordered a plane to return to its gate because she was angry over the way she had been served nuts, is leaving the airline along with her sister, their father and company chairman announces.