Succession ruling means a daughter of William and Kate can be queen

REPORTING FROM LONDON -- There's good news for the daughter of Britain's Prince William and Catherine Middleton (if they have one): One day she can be queen.

Leaders of the 16 countries that recognize the British monarch as their head of state agreed Friday that a firstborn daughter ought to be able to ascend the throne even if she has younger brothers. The proposed change to the rules of royal succession that have prevailed for centuries will now make its way through the legal process of all 16 countries, among them Australia, Canada and a number of small island nations (Britain included).

The legislation would apply to all heirs of Prince Charles, the (firstborn) son of the reigning Queen Elizabeth II and the current heir to the throne. In effect, the change would begin with the children of Charles' son William, second in line to the throne, who married Middleton, his college sweetheart and a commoner, in April.

The leaders of the 16 countries also agreed that an embarrassing rule forbidding a monarch or heir to marry a Catholic ought to be scrapped.

New Zealand oil spill worsens; stricken cargo ship may sink

REPORTING FROM SEOUL -- New Zealand’s worst-ever environmental sea accident teetered on the brink of further mayhem Monday as a stricken cargo ship threatened to break apart and become dislodged from the reef it rammed earlier this month.

Salvage crews rushed to pump more oil from the ailing Liberia-flagged Rena, which ran aground Oct. 5 on a reef 14 miles offshore, spilling tons of heavy oil that has washed up on pristine beaches near the town of Tauranga on New Zealand's North Island.

Photo gallery: Cargo vessel grounded off New Zealand

But rough seas have stymied salvage efforts: Less than 85 tons of oil has been removed from the listing cargo ship, while an estimated 1,400 additional tons of fuel still remain aboard. An estimated 350 tons of oil have leaked into the sea, causing havoc for citizens along beaches and killing nearly 1,300 seabirds.

The weather was expected to worsen late Monday and authorities, citing several serious stress cracks in the vessel's hull, including one that runs the width of the ship, now fear the Rena will slip from its precarious mooring and sink. The bow of the ship remains stuck on the reef while the stern swings free.

Steven Joyce, New Zealand’s transportation minister, said there was little chance that workers could remove all the oil before the vessel broke free.

Occupy Wall Street spirit spreads through Pacific Rim

REPORTING FROM SEOUL -- The protests against corporate greed born last month on New York’s Wall Street spread to the world’s Asia-Pacific region Saturday, with similar marches staged in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.

The weekend protests were organized as part of what activists described as a global movement involving nearly 85 countries worldwide.

In Sydney, Australia, hundreds of activists chanted anti-big-business slogans in front of the nation's central bank headquarters in the heart of the financial district, with protesters declaring that the events were “only the start,” according to Australian media reports. They pledged that the actions could go on for weeks, even months.

PHOTOS: 'Occupy' protests

Some held up banners reading “You can’t eat money” and “We are the 99%,” a reference to the percentage of workers who do not share in lucrative annual big-business bonuses.

In New Zealand, more than 500 activists joined marches in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch, Radio New Zealand reported.

New Zealand tries to stem environmental maritime disaster

REPORTING FROM SEOUL -- In what is being termed New Zealand’s worst environmental sea disaster, authorities Wednesday scrambled to contain an oil leak from a stricken cargo ship that officials say has worsened fivefold in the last 48 hours.

Since the Liberia-flagged Rena ran aground Oct. 5 on a reef 14 miles offshore, tons of heavy oil has washed up on pristine beaches near the town of Tauranga on New Zealand’s North Island.

Late Monday, rough weather jostled the ship, increasing the flow of oil leaking from its bowels. So far, officials say hundreds of sea birds have been found dead, and dozens more were being treated to remove oil from their feathers.

New Zealand’s environment minister, Nick Smith, called the spill the nation’s “most significant environmental maritime disaster,” adding that cleanup would take weeks.