WORLD NEWS

Two men wielding knives butchered and beheaded a man believed to be a British soldier in a busy London street, before delivering an Islamist tirade to passers-by. Prime Minister David Cameron, condemning Wednesday's "appalling" attack, added: "There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident." Eyewitnesses described how after the two men carried out their attack, they stayed at the scene, asking passers-by to photograph and film them.

The case of a 40-year-old Malaysian man who is charged with raping a 13-year-old girl before marrying her under sharia law has provoked national outrage. The alleged rape happened in the eastern state of Sabah, where more than half of such cases involve underage girls, according to human rights activists.

The recession has taken a toll on economies around the world, from driving down standards of living to sending unemployment to record levels. Through it all, however, some nations' people have emerged stronger and wealthier than ever before. Is there a trend among the richest countries on the planet, and can investors benefit from these economies' gains? Compiled from data from the International Monetary Fund's 2013 estimates, here are the richest five nations among the world's 50 largest economies, sorted by GDP per capita and adjusted for purchasing-power parity. While at least one expected name makes the list, a few may surprise you.

A couple of years ago, my friend moved out to Malaysia in search of a life where a winter wardrobe isn't a thing and you don't have to worry about stuff like moronic bro culture or seeing Kim K's face on television. What he found was a job as a bar manager in an establishment frequented by Malay punks covered in swastikas, wearing Combat 18 (a neo-Nazi terrorist organization) T-shirts and harping on about "Malay power."

Ladies of New York , you are free to walk bare-breasted through the city! New York City's 34,000 police officers have been instructedthat, should they encounter a woman in public who is shirtless but obeying the law, they should not arrest her. This is a good step towards gender parity in public spaces. This decision means that breast exposure is not considered public lewdness, indecent exposure, or disorderly conduct.

Money sent home by Filipinos abroad reached $5.6 billion (Dh499 billion) during the first quarter of 2013 even as remittances showed less robust growth compared to previous years. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines) Governor Amando Tetangco Jr reported that personal remittances from overseas Filipinos (OFs) went up in March 2013, registering a 3.7 per cent year-on-year growth to reach $1.9 billion. This development, he said, brought the cumulative remittances for the first quarter of 2013 to $5.6 billion, higher by 6.2 per cent than the level registered in the comparable period in 2012.

The dire manners and "uncivilised behaviour" of some Chinese tourists abroad are harming the country's image, said a top official who lamented their poor "quality and breeding", according to state-run media. Wang Yang, one of China's four vice premiers, singled out for condemnation "talking loudly in public places, jay-walking, spitting and wilfully carving characters on items in scenic zones".

Alicia Gali was an Australian employee of hotel chain Starwood in the United Arab Emirates when she was subjected to a brutal attack. While using her laptop in the hotel bar, her drink was spiked and, while she was unconscious, Gali was raped by three of her colleagues. Gali woke up with multiple bruises and four broken ribs. At this point, she took herself to hospital and reported the crime herself.

A court on Thursday sentenced a Malaysian couple to 24 years in jail for starving their Cambodian maid to death, one of many such abuse cases straining ties between the country and its neighbours. Hardware store owners Soh Chew Tong, 44, and his wife Chin Chui Ling, 42, were found guilty of culpable homicide at a high court in the northern state of Penang, said prosecutor Tan Guat Cheng.