AFP - A strong earthquake with a 6.4 magnitude struck southwest of Australia's Macquarie Island early Monday, the US Geological Survey said.

AFP - Australian troops ended their combat mission in Iraq on Sunday and are withdrawing from the country, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said.

AP - A weak tropical storm became the first named storm of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season, dumping rain as it moved across the Yucatan Peninsula.

AP - Muslim hardliners in Kuwait's parliament walked out of the body's inaugural meeting on Sunday to protest two female Cabinet ministers who were not wearing headscarves.

AFP - The head of the German employers' federation Dieter Hundt warned that long-term high inflation would have a devastating impact on Europe's biggest economy, in an interview published Sunday.

AP - The tour guides were waiting with bony, undersized horses to carry travelers to Haiti's historic Citadelle Laferriere, one of the most impressive mountaintop fortresses in the world.

AP - As others rushed for higher ground, the Liu family sat at home sipping tea and watching TV reports of a possible massive flood.

AP - A year into Hamas' rule in the Gaza Strip, courts are meting out justice, police are arresting thieves, motorists are paying for licenses and authorities are blocking Internet porn sites.

AP - Israel handed over a convicted Hezbollah spy to Lebanon on Sunday and in a surprise move the Islamic guerrilla group turned over what it said were the body parts of Israeli soldiers killed in a 2006 war.

Reuters - About 500 Australian combat troops pulled out of their base in southern Iraq on Sunday, fulfilling an election promise by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to bring the soldiers home this year.

AP - Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says a remote-controlled bomb detonated as a bus carrying Afghan soldiers passed by, killing one civilian and wounding five people.

AFP - The US special envoy for Sudan said Sunday he would shuttle between northern and southern leaders to try to resolve a crisis in a disputed oil district where deadly clashes have sparked fears of a new civil war.

AP - A weak tropical storm formed Saturday off the Yucatan Peninsula and quickly made landfall at the Belize-Mexico border, dumping rain and kicking up surf.