Russia, after Netanyahu visit, backs off Syria S-300 missile suppliesRussia is not in talks with the Syrian government about supplying advanced S-300 ground-to-air missiles and does not think they are needed, the Izvestia daily cited a top Kremlin aide as saying on Fri...
Monsoon threat looms for Rohingya campsAid agencies face a "narrowing window" to prepare Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh for life-threatening floods in the approaching monsoon season, the aid coordinating group said this week...
Chinese premier’s visit opens new chapter in ties with JapanChinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Japan has opened a new chapter for economic and trade relations between the two countries. Li wrapped up a four-day official visit to Japan on Friday, which coinc...
Hawaii volcano could be building up to big eruption: scientistsA Hawaii volcano that has been oozing lava and burping steam for days may be gearing up for a huge eruption, scientists have warned, prompting the closure of Volcanoes National Park on Friday. It is t...
Chile bishops prepare for papal dressing down over abuseAround 30 Chilean bishops have begun arriving in Rome for what is widely expected to be a dressing-down by Pope Francis over years of sexual abuse within the Chilean Church. The bishops were joining F...
Is 92 too old to lead? Malaysia’s Mahathir doesn’t think soThe longtime strongman was born when silent films still packed movie theaters and Adolf Hitler was still a fringe politician. It was 1926, and his homeland was known as British Malaya. Now Mahathir Mo...
Indonesian volcano erupts, sparking evacuationsIndonesian villagers living in the shadow of one of the world's most active volcanoes fled to safety Friday as the crater erupted, sending a cascade of ash and smoke some 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) in...
Poland cuts MPs’ pay by 20 percent after bonuses controversyPoland's parliament, which is dominated by the nationalist-minded, eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party, has adopted a bill assuming a 20 percent pay cut for parliament members after public critici...
South Africa police probe ‘extremism’ element in mosque attackSouth Africa's elite police unit has taken over the investigation of a mosque attack near Durban which killed one person because "extremism" is suspected as a possible motive, an official said on Frid...
The challenge of space gardening: One giant ‘leaf’ for mankindIt's not easy having a green thumb in space. Without gravity, seeds can float away. Water doesn't pour, but globs up and may drown the roots. And artificial lights and fans must be rigged just right t...
Seoul ‘tricked’ N Korea waitresses into defecting: managerThe 12 North Korean waitresses who defected from China two years ago were tricked into doing so in an operation by the South's intelligence services, their manager told South Korean television in a bo...
Philippines’ top court ousts Duterte-critic chief justiceThe Philippines' top court voted on Friday to remove its chief justice, who faced ouster efforts after battling with President Rodrigo Duterte over human rights and his deadly war on drugs. The decisi...
Mahathir says king willing to grant full pardon for AnwarMalaysia's newly-elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday that the country's monarch has indicated he was willing to grant a full pardon to jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim immediately. T...
Afghanistan extends deadline for voter registration amid violenceA deadline for Afghans to register to vote in the October 20 legislative elections has been extended, officials said Friday, as figures show hundreds of civilians have already been killed or wounded i...
Kenya’s top prosecutor orders dam disaster investigationKenya's chief prosecutor on Friday ordered police to investigate a dam-burst on a commercial farm in the Rift Valley that killed dozens of people as a wall of water tore down a hillside, obliterating...
Worked to the bone: South Korea’s elderlyIn theory Park Jae-yeol should have retired 11 years ago. But despite its advanced economy South Korean state pensions are meagre, and the 71-year-old is obliged to continue working, delivering packag...
WH aide says about McCain, ‘he’s dying anyway’: reportA White House aide said the opposition of Senator John McCain, 81 and battling brain cancer, to the nominee for CIA director does not matter because "he's dying anyway," US media reported. CNN and oth...