Russians protest as Duma debates unpopular pension reformAround 200 people protested outside the Russian parliament on Thursday ahead of a vote on a hugely unpopular government proposal to raise the pension age to 65 for men and 63 for women. The planned pe...
Myanmar army made ‘systematic’ Rohingya crackdown plan: rights groupMyanmar’s military engaged in “extensive and systematic” preparations for a bloody crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, a rights group said Thursday, in a damning new report that it says justifies a genocid...
Japan’s ambassador conquers Iraqi hearts and mindsWhile foreign diplomats often struggle to win over ordinary Iraqis, Japan’s departing ambassador has stolen hearts — thanks to witty social media videos in classical Arabic and local dialects. Fumio I...
Eight Maoists rebels including 4 women killed in IndiaEight Maoist rebels including four women fighters were killed Thursday in central India, an official said, in the latest killings in a decades-old conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives. Hu...
South Sudan’s president Kiir says ready to accept peace dealSouth Sudan’s President Salva Kiir said he is ready to accept a peace deal to end a civil war and set up an inclusive new government. The deal being negotiated in Sudan would give the country five vic...
Putin says forces in US trying to derail success of Trump summitPresident Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused forces in the United States of trying to undermine the success of his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, and said the two leaders had managed t...
Republicans mull curbing Trump after Putin summitDonald Trump's unsettling embrace of Russia's Vladimir Putin this week drew derision across the US political spectrum, but it remains to be seen whether Republicans have the will to rein in their pres...
Israel adopts divisive Jewish nation-state lawIsrael passed a law on Thursday to declare that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country, something members of the Arab minority called racist and verging on apartheid. The "natio...
Street by street, gutted Syrian town begins modest reconstructionKhaled's delicate hands were accustomed to cutting and styling hair in his Syrian hometown Harasta. Now, they're hauling concrete and sweeping floors to repair homes ravaged by years of fighting. Moun...
Despite the risks, migration fixates many in Ivory CoastThey have a dream: to "cross the water" -- the Mediterranean -- and reach the Eldorado of Europe. And yes, they admit, there may be risks but nothing that cannot be overcome with a bit of courage. "I'...
Turkish court keeps US pastor in jail; Trump calls on Erdogan to actA Turkish court decided on Wednesday to keep an American pastor in jail, dashing hopes that he could be released during his trial on terrorism and spying charges, a case that has deepened a rift with...
Long way home as Przewalski’s horses fly to MongoliaTheir violent kicks rattle the small army plane flying over Siberia as it transports the four rare horses from Prague to the vast Mongolian steppe where the once near-extinct species is slowly recover...
FBI Director Wray says Russia continues to sow discord in USFBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday that Russia continues to use fake news, propaganda and covert operations to "spin up" Americans on both sides of hot-button issues to sow discord in the Un...
Ortega and Murillo: Nicaragua’s shrewd power coupleNicaragua's first couple, President Daniel Ortega and his wife Vice President Rosario Murillo, tightened their grip on power after government forces seized an opposition stronghold on the eve of Thurs...
Baptism at sea for first women to join France’s nuclear subsDrinking a bowl of seawater followed by a glass of champagne, four French officers stood out during the traditional "baptism" to mark their inaugural submarine patrol: the first women to join a crew i...
Mexico’s ‘AMLO’ should learn to love energy reform: analystsMexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been a harsh critic of the landmark energy reform that privatized the country's oil sector, but the anti-establishment leftist will need it more...
Turnbull calls on Pope to sack archbishop for concealing child abuseAustralian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday called on Pope Francis to sack disgraced archbishop Philip Wilson after he was convicted of covering up child sex abuse but remains employed by t...
South Korea court orders compensation to victims of 2014 ferry sinkingA South Korean court ruled on Thursday that the government and the operator of the Sewol ferry, which sank in 2014 killing 304 people mostly school children, must compensate the victims' families. The...
Skripal Novichok poisoning suspects identified – Press AssociationUK investigators believe they have identified the suspected perpetrators behind the Novichok nerve agent attack on the Skripals, the Press Association reported on Thursday. Russian double agent Sergei...