Budapest: The first elephant born in Budapest’s zoo since 1961 has been named Asha following a public vote in which over 200,000 people took part, the zoo said Tuesday.

Pope Benedict XVI toured St Peter’s Square in his popemobile one last time today at the start of an audience in front of tens of thousands of pilgrims on the evening of his historic resignation as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

Italy was at an impasse Tuesday after an election seen as vital for the eurozone failed to produce a clear winner and provided a shock debut for a populist anti-austerity party, rattling world markets and setting off alarm bells across Europe.

A hot air balloon exploded and plunged to earth at Egypt’s ancient temple city of Luxor during a sunrise flight on Tuesday, killing up to 19 tourists, including Asians and Europeans, sources said.

A suicide car bomb blew up at an army checkpoint in northeastern Damascus, leaving five soldiers killed, a watchdog said, as rebels pressed toward the centre of the capital.

A Singapore doctor who performed the autopsy on an Indian gangrape victim testified via videolink on Monday in the trial of five men accused of her murder, a defence lawyer said.

A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit Japan on Monday, setting buildings in the capital swaying but causing no risk of a tsunami, the country’s meteorological agency reported.

The last Twilight film won the dubious honour Saturday of being awarded seven Razzies, Hollywood’s anti-Oscar Golden Raspberry prizes, handed out on the eve of the real Academy Awards.

Two Taliban suicide bombers killed three members of Afghan security forces today, but a third attack in Kabul’s diplomatic enclave was foiled when police shot dead the would-be assailant, officials said.

Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric, who is due to vote on Pope Benedict XVI’s successor, has been reported to the Vatican over claims of inappropriate behaviour, the Observer reported today.