Militia kill 34 in Congo; church leader makes appeal to Kabila
KINSHASA – Militias in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least 34 civilians over the weekend, the army and local activists said, and the violence stoked concerns over political…
Typhoon weakens but Philippines braces for floods, mudslides
MANILA – A typhoon weakened as it cut across the Philippines on Monday with strong wind felling trees and power lines, and authorities warned of flash floods and mudslides but…
Singer George Michael of Wham! fame dies at 53
British singer George Michael, who became one of the pop idols of the 1980s with Wham! and then forged a career as a successful solo artist with sometimes sexually provocative…
Carrie Fisher ‘stable’ after cardiac incident, mother says
NEW YORK/CHICAGO – Hollywood actress Carrie Fisher was in stable condition, her mother Debbie Reynolds said on Sunday, after the “Star Wars” star suffered a cardiac episode two days earlier…
Traffickers get life in prison in India for chopping off labourers’ hands
BHUBANESWAR, India, (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Eight human traffickers found guilty of torturing and chopping off the hands of two labourers have received life prison sentences and hefty fines, a…
Vietnamese circus brothers break world record in head-to-head balance stunt
Vietnamese circus artists Giang Quoc Co and Giang Quoc Nghiep have smashed a Guinness World Record with their balancing act at the first try in Spain, according to media reports.…
Iraqis celebrate first Christmas near Mosul after Islamic State pushback
A few hundred Iraqi Christians have flocked to Bartella, a northern town recently retaken from Islamic State, to celebrate Christmas for the first time since 2013. Bartella, once home to…
Asylum seekers riot at Papua New Guinea detention camp
Asylum seekers held at a Papua New Guinea detention centre briefly took control of two compounds and expelled guards following the death of a refugee who fell ill at the…
Under scrutiny, Trump decides to dissolve his foundation
United States President-elect Donald Trump has said he intends to dissolve his charitable foundation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which has been under investigation by the New York attorney general.…
Pope says Christmas ‘hostage’ to materialism, God in shadows
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis said on Saturday that Christmas had been “taken hostage” by dazzling materialism that puts God in the shadows and blinds many to the needs of…
