Sri Lanka blames Islamists for Easter attacks as death toll soars to 290Sri Lanka said Monday it believed a local Islamist extremist group was behind deadly suicide bomb blasts that killed nearly 300 people, as it ordered a national state of emergency beginning midnight....
Family’s near miss at bombed Sri Lanka churchWhen Dilip Fernando arrived at St Sebastian's church in Sri Lanka's Negombo on Easter Sunday, it was so crowded he went elsewhere for mass. The decision probably saved his life. Shortly after he left,...
Prosecutors probe ‘suicide’ taunts targeting police at protestParis prosecutors have launched an investigation after French anti-government protesters shouted slogans mocking police over a spate of recent suicides in the force in the latest of a series of demons...
Japan PM Abe’s ruling bloc suffers shock by-election lossesJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc suffered two rare losses in by-elections on Sunday in an apparent warning from voters not to get complacent ahead of a national election for parliament...
‘Where is God?’: Sri Lankans stunned after deadly blastsAs Shantha Prasad carried children wounded in Sri Lanka's deadly attacks into a Colombo hospital, memories of the country's deadly civil war flooded back. "I carried about eight wounded children yeste...
Mexico breaks violence record in first quarter of 2019Violence in Mexico hit new heights in the first quarter of 2019, with 8,493 murders recorded from January to March, according to official figures. According to the Executive Secretariat of the Public...
Kim Jong Unheads to Russia to revive old friendshipOn the neighbouring mound to Mansu hill, where giant statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il look out over North Korea's capital, stands the Liberation Tower. The star-topped stone obelisk has a bronze...
US makes exceptions for foreigners dealing with Revolutionary GuardsThe United States has largely carved out exceptions so that foreign governments, firms and NGOs do not automatically face US sanctions for dealing with Iran's Revolutionary Guards after the group's de...
Refugees face eviction in Greece as thousands more wait for homesAbdullah Ahmadi, an Afghan living with his wife and five children in an apartment in the Athens suburbs allocated by the UN refugee agency, is about to lose his home for the past three years. “In two...
Journalist’s murder marks upsurge in N Ireland unrestThe killing of a journalist in Londonderry marks the latest upsurge of violence in Northern Ireland -- where fears are growing that a fragile and hard-won peace is increasingly at risk. Lyra McKee, 29...
Anger as Malaysian cleared of murdering Indonesian maidA Malaysian woman has reportedly been cleared of murdering her Indonesian maid, who was allegedly tortured and forced to sleep outside with a dog, with activists Monday criticising the "shocking" deci...
Arab League pledges $100 million to Palestinians, rejects Trump’s ‘deal’The Arab League has pledged to pay $100 million a month to the Palestinian Authority to plug the gap left when Israel blocked tax transfers earlier in the year. "We confirm that Arab countries will su...
From comic to commander-in-chief: challenges for new Ukraine leaderUkraine's election has catapulted Volodymyr Zelensky, a 41-year-old standup comedian and television star with no political experience, into the nation's top job. As leader of a country dependent on in...
Sudan’s military council warns against road blocks as protests continueSudan's ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) warned on Monday against protestors blocking roads and limiting the movement of citizens as protests continued after president Omar al-Bashir was for...
Austria NGO fights hate online, one conversation at a timeWhen it comes to the problem of online hate speech, the culprits behind the keyboards and smartphones can take some surprising forms -- just take 74-year-old Viennese retiree Ms H. Angered by an artic...
Macedonians vote in election dominated by splits over name changeMacedonians vote on Sunday in a presidential election dominated by deep divisions over a change of the country's name to North Macedonia under a deal with Greece. The change, which Greece demanded to...
OIC body urges Muslim countries to promote culture of readingMuslim countries must do more to promote books and reading, the Saudi Press Agency reported one of the world’s largest Islamic organizations as saying. The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural...
Egyptian voters urged to allow El-Sissi rule until 2030Egyptian pro-government media are urging a "Yes" vote on the second day of a nationwide referendum that would allow President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to stay in power until 2030. Polls reopened at 0700 G...
Afghan women go online to set #myredline for peaceKobra Samim, who rides for Afghanistan's national cycling team, wrote on Facebook that women's participation in sport is her "red line" as the US tries to forge a peace deal with the Taliban. Former p...
Anger at poor public services 25 years into South Africa democracyInside the conical brick tower looming over Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, Soweto, Busi Hlatshwayo thoughtfully studies 10 giant bronze slabs announcing the core principles of South Africa's Freedo...
Amid security worries, gun sales thrive in Iraq’s MosulHunting rifles, pistols and towers of ammunition magazines: new gun shops are popping up in Iraq's Mosul, where residents are keen to own personal firearms in the unpredictable aftermath of jihadist r...
Mexico warns of ‘deep concern’ over armed groups on US borderMexico said on Saturday it had "deep concern" about armed groups that intimidate and extort migrants on the border, shortly after the ACLU and Democratic senators called for a probe into such citizen...
Macron popularity still weak after Notre-Dame fire: pollThe popularity of French President Emmanuel Macron remains stuck at under 30 percent as he battles a series of political troubles, with no major change reported after the Notre-Dame fire, a poll said...
Algiers court summons former PM Ouyahia in public waste probe: state TVAn Algerian court has summoned former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and current Finance Minister Mohamed Loukal, two close associates of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in a probe into the wasti...
Japan PM Abe sends offering to Yasukuni war shrineJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine, seen by Asian neighbours as a symbol of Japan's militarist past. The Tokyo shrine honours...
Libya reopens Tripoli’s only functioning airportLibya has reopened Tripoli’s only functioning airport, aviation authorities said on a post on social media on Sunday. Mitiga airport was closed earlier in the day when residents reported an air strike...
Indian, Australian warships arrive in China for naval paradeWarships from India, Australia and several other nations arrived in the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao on Sunday to attend a naval parade, part of a goodwill visit as China extends the hand of f...
Four Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with PKK, says ministryFour Turkish soldiers were killed on Friday in clashes with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) near the border with Iraq, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday. Demiroren News Agency said...
FBI arrests leader of armed group stopping migrants in New MexicoThe FBI on Saturday said it had arrested Larry Hopkins, the leader of an armed group that is stopping undocumented migrants after they cross the US-Mexico border into New Mexico. The arrest came two d...
After Indonesia election, new crop of leaders in focus for 2024 voteEven with Indonesia's current presidential election result still to be officially confirmed, attention is turning to the next race for the top job in 2024 with some rising political stars and well-con...
US withdrawal from Afghanistan focus of next talks: TalibanUpcoming talks between the Taliban and the United States will focus on the timetable for pulling all foreign forces from Afghanistan, according to a senior Taliban member. In an interview with AFP, th...
Spain’s Socialists, far-right increase their support ahead of election: pollSpain's Socialists increased their lead in a poll published on Saturday in newspaper El Pais with 28.8 percent of votes, equivalent to 129 seats in the 350-seat parliament, but far-right newcomer Vox...
Doves, heartbreak and hope on 20th anniversary of Columbine High massacreA week-long series of events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre culminated on Saturday with a remembrance ceremony celebrating the lives of the 13 victims slain i...
Trump brushes off Romney’s criticism, points to loss in 2012Sen. Mitt Romney says he's "sickened" by the dishonesty the Russia investigation found in the Trump White House, but the president fires back that Romney should have put the same energy into running f...
Democratic hopefuls demur on pursuing Trump post-White HouseSome Democratic contenders for president aren't saying whether they would re-open investigations into President Donald Trump if they were to oust him from the White House in 2020. Their reluctance com...
Environment emerges as major issue for Australian votersThe environment has emerged as a major issue for Australian voters, a poll showed on Sunday, but healthcare and the cost of living are the top concerns ahead of next month's elections. For 32 percent...
Saudi Arabia says 4 gunmen killed in attempted attackSaudi Arabia says four gunmen were killed and three security officers were wounded in an attack on a security building north of the capital, Riyadh. The state-run al-Ekhbariya news channel reported Su...