Penguin Random House lands book deal with Obamas
Penguin Random House has landed a deal to publish two forthcoming books by former US President Barack Obama and the former first lady, Michelle Obama, with one volume to be…
Australia to bring back ambassadors to shape foreign policy
Australia will temporarily bring back every ambassador from across the world to help shape the final components of its new foreign policy, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported citing the…
Russia, China block UN sanctions on Syria over gas attacks
UNITED NATIONS – Russia has cast its seventh veto to protect the Syrian government from United Nations Security Council action, blocking a bid by Western powers to impose sanctions over…
Chance of El Nino at 50 percent in 2017 – Australian weather bureau
The chance of an El Nino in 2017 has increased in the last two weeks, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has said, indicating a 50 percent chance the weather…
South Korea suggests suspending North Korea’s UN seat
GENEVA – South Korea has called for “collective measures” against North Korea, including possible suspension of its United Nations membership, saying the use of chemical weapons to assassinate the half-brother…
Australia man arrested on charges of helping Islamic State develop missile technology
SYDNEY – Australian counter-terrorism police have arrested an unidentified man after a raid on a countryside property and accused him of seeking to help the Islamic State group by developing missile technology,…
SpaceX to send first paying tourists around moon next year
CAPE CANAVERAL – SpaceX plans to launch two paying passengers on a tourist trip around the moon next year using a spaceship under development for NASA astronauts and a heavy-lift…
India firms fear lingering economic aftershocks from cash crackdown
GHAZIABAD, India – Struggling with customers unable to pay on time and plummeting sales, Indian small-business owner Ravi Jain fears the government’s crackdown on cash will have a much larger…
Chile presidential hopeful Pinera blasts opponents’ campaign as ‘dirty’
SANTIAGO – Former Chilean leader Sebastian Pinera, an early front-runner to win back the presidency this year, struck back on Monday at what he called a smear campaign by leftist…
China considering offering financial incentives for second child
SHANGHAI – China is considering introducing birth rewards and subsidies to encourage people to have a second child, after surveys showed that economic constraints were making many reluctant to expand…
