New Year car torching, arrests up in France
France saw a jump in arrests on New Year's Eve as well as an increase in the number of cars torched by vandals, a ritual among revellers in the country's high-rise suburbs.
Emperor’s abdication date confirmed: April 30, 2019
Japan's Emperor Akihito will step down on April 30, 2019, the country's prime minister announced Friday, the first retirement in more than two centuries in the imperial family believed to be the world's oldest.
Venezuela arrests former oil bosses in corruption purge
Thai leaders mourn passing of statesman Surin
Government leaders, diplomats, top politicians and rights activists yesterday expressed their sorrow over the death of former foreign minister and ASEAN secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan yesterday.
UN court closes under cloud of war criminal’s suicide
It was supposed to be business as usual in the sedate halls of the UN court for the former Yugoslavia, as judges delivered their final verdict after two decades of painstaking, groundbreaking work.
Blast at chemical plant in central Japan injures more than 10 people
A chemical plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, exploded on Friday morning, leaving more than 10 people injured, local police said. The degree of injuries is unknown.
Venezuela’s Maduro to seek 2nd term in 2018: vice president
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro -- who is battling a crippling economic crisis in his oil-rich, cash-poor nation -- will seek re-election next year, Vice President Tareck El Aissami said Wednesday.
Europe’s Muslim population to grow strongly, even if migration ends: study
Muslims could make up over 11 percent of Europe's population in the coming decades, compared with just under 5 percent currently, if legal migration levels are maintained, a report by a US-based think tank said Thursday.
US threatens to ’utterly destroy’ N. Korea regime
The United States yesterday warned that North Korea's leadership will be "utterly destroyed" if war breaks out as it called on countries to cut all diplomatic and trade ties with North Korea -- including Chinese oil shipments to Pyongyang.
Libya allows emergency migrant 'evacuations' after slavery uproar
Libya agreed Wednesday with key EU and African leaders to allow migrants facing abuse in detention camps to be evacuated within days or weeks, mostly to their home countries, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
Venezuela’s Maduro says he could stop oil sales to US
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro floated the idea Tuesday of cutting off oil sales to the United States, which buys almost half its output.
Pope begins landmark mass for Myanmar Catholics
A sea of worshippers crowded into a football field early Wednesday for an open-air mass by Pope Francis, who is making the first ever papal visit to Myanmar.
Victoria becomes first Australia state to legalise euthanasia
Victoria has become the first Australian state to legalise voluntary assisted dying, or euthanasia, for the terminally ill, ABC News said in a report on Wednesday.
North Korea tests ICBM in fresh challenge to Trump
North Korea test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, in a major challenge to US President Donald Trump after he slapped fresh sanctions on Pyongyang and declared it a state sponsor of terrorism.
Trump faces fraught end to tempestuous year
President Donald Trump returned to work at a festively decorated White House this week, facing a formidable to-do list that will decide whether his Christmas is filled with political misery or cheer.
UN restarts Syria peace talks but Assad regime absent
The United Nations reopens its Syria peace talks on Tuesday but the Damascus government's last minute announcement that it may not come to Geneva delivered a blow to the already faltering negotiations.
Police foil Australia New Year’s Eve ’terror plot’
An Islamic State sympathiser planned to buy a gun and kill as many revellers as possible on New Year's Eve in Melbourne's popular Federation Square, police alleged on Tuesday after foiling the plot.
Mexico finance minister launches presidential run
Mexican finance minister Jose Antonio Meade resigned on Monday to run for president, with what many pundits see as the best chance to beat the current front-runner, the leftist firebrand Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Ash from rumbling volcano forces Bali airport to stay shut
Plumes of ash from a rumbling volcano forced Indonesian authorities to close Bali's airport for a second day Tuesday, as a threatened eruption stranded tourists and forced mass evacuations.
Iran, Turkey sign deal with Qatar to ease Gulf blockade
Iran and Turkey signed a deal on Sunday with Qatar aimed at boosting commercial ties with the Gulf state which is under blockade by its Arab neighbours, Iranian state television said.
