Indonesian police detain three over suspected plot to attack assembly
JAKARTA – Indonesian anti-terrorism police have detained three former students in a raid on a university campus in Pekanbaru, on Sumatra island, and seized crude bombs and other explosive material,…
Gunmen kill six traffic police in central Mexico
MEXICO CITY – Gunmen have shot dead six traffic police in the central Mexican city of Salamanca, authorities said, one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in recent months.…
N.Korea official meets Trump in rare White House visit, carries letter
WASHINGTON/SEOUL – A senior North Korean official has met US President Donald Trump at the White House to hand him a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as…
German Muslims accuse Bavaria of double standards over crucifix order
BERLIN – Muslim groups in Germany have accused the Bavarian government of double standards as a new order requiring government buildings in the mainly Catholic southern region to display a…
Scientists hunt down genes behind humankind’s big brain
WASHINGTON – Scientists have pinpointed three genes that may have played a pivotal role in an important milestone in human evolution: the striking increase in brain size that facilitated cognitive…
Reporters quit Slovak public broadcaster to protest at political pressure
BRATISLAVA – Twelve reporters from Slovakia’s public TV and radio broadcaster RTVS have quit in protest at what they called creeping political pressure. The resignations come after RTVS sacked a…
Pope sends clergy sexual abuse inspectors back to Chile
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis is sending his two top sexual abuse investigators back to Chile to gather more information about the crisis that has hit the Catholic Church there,…
Denmark bans the wearing of face veils in public
COPENHAGEN – Denmark has banned the wearing of face veils in public, joining France and other parts of Europe in outlawing the burqa and the niqab worn by some Muslim…
Serbian archaeologists find sarcophagus with two skeletons and jewellery in ancient city
KOSTOLAC – Serbian archaeologists at the site of the ancient Roman city of Viminacium have found an intact sarcophagus with two skeletons bedecked with gold and silver adornments. Ilija Mikic,…
China says US accusation of S.China Sea militarisation “ridiculous”
BEIJING – The United States’ claims that China is militarising the South China Sea are “ridiculous”, China says, after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Washington would continue to confront…
