A wildfire in Chile has destroyed over 500 homes in six hours and continues to sweep the area, with strong winds fanning the flames. A state of emergency has been declared by the country’s president in an effort to help the army battle the fires. At least two people have been killed in the fire that swept more than 2.5 million square meters (660 acres), according to Chile’s National Emergency... 

A car remains under the ruins of a collapsed house in San Marcos, 240 km of Guatemala City, November 7, 2012. The death toll of an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale that hit Guatemala’s Pacific Coast has climbed to 52 with about 20 still missing. Media reports on Thursday quoted emergency services on the casualties, saying that almost a third of the dead are children and at least 150... 

A Topol-M missile in Red Square. Vladimir Putin called for more Russian offensive weapons to punch through America's new missile defence shield Russia needs more weapons to punch through America’s new missile defence shield, Vladimir Putin said yesterday in blunt remarks that will complicate efforts to cut the nuclear arsenals of the former Cold War rivals. The Russian Prime Minister, reasserting... 

Russian gamblers are placing their final bets before casinos close down for good in Moscow and other big cities. A new law that comes into effect Wednesday says gambling must now be confined to four far-flung special zones. Casinos and slot machines will now be allowed to operate only in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, the Primorsky region on the Pacific coast, the Altai region in Siberia and near the...