- Reuters
U.S.-led coalition destroys Syrian mosque used as ISIS command center
The U.S.-led coalition in Syria destroyed on Saturday a mosque in the town of Hajin which had been used as an Islamic State command and control center, the U.S. military said. Hajin is the last big town that the Islamic State holds in its remaining enclave east of the Euphrates River. The U.S.-backed
ReutersSri Lanka's former PM Wickremesinghe to return to post on Sunday: lawmaker, source
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will return to the post on Sunday, a lawmaker from his party and a source at the president's office said, likely ending a political crisis that began in late October when he was ousted in a surprise decision. The South Asian
ReutersAustralia recognizes west Jerusalem as Israel's capital, embassy not moving yet
Australia formally recognizes west Jerusalem as Israel's capital, reversing decades of Middle East policy, but will not move its embassy there immediately, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday. Israel described the move as a step in the right direction. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb
- Christian Science Monitor
Readers write: US-Russia exchange, and how to address genocide?
What a pleasant surprise to see Sharon Tennison profiled in the People Making a Difference feature in the Oct. 22 Weekly Print Edition! Our family traveled with her 30 years ago as part of her program Center for Citizen Initiatives, which sets up trips to Russia for Americans and trips to the United
- Christian Science Monitor
Global Newsstand: China and the US begin to realize the costs of their trade war, and more
The Hindu / Chennai, India
- Christian Science Monitor
Stuck between China and US, Canada finds itself ‘alone in the world’
Just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable that the United States would not back Canada in a geopolitical standoff. In reaction, Ottawa has been seeking a place in this shifting international landscape, in part bolstered by economic and political ties with China to reduce its dependence on
- Christian Science Monitor
Israel booms with babies as developed world’s birth rates plummet. Here’s why.
Pro-natalist Israel is having a sustained baby boom, and now has the highest per capita rate of population growth in the developed world, experts say. Families here have an average of 3.1 children, compared with 1.7 in other developed countries. At this rate Israel’s population, which currently numbers
AFPBethlehem church mosaics sparkle in time for Christmas
Masked for centuries by the soot of candles and lately by scaffolding, the mosaics of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity have been restored to their Crusader-era splendour in time for Christmas. Now the restored remains shine against the white walls above the heads of visitors to the church in the
AFPNorth Cyprus journalist takes on Turkey's mighty Erdogan
Jail time, angry mobs and assassination attempts -- editor Sener Levent has paid a price for challenging Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and authorities in breakaway northern Cyprus through his tiny newspaper. "There is always a price you pay for freedom of expression," said the
AFPDisplaced huddle in a basement as winter grips Syria
Al-Bab (Syria) (AFP) - After washing up her family's dishes over a plastic basin, 11-year-old Cedra sits on the floor of the dank basement in Syria to tackle her day's studies. A dark staircase leads from a street in the town of Al-Bab to the gloomy space the young girl, her blind father and
AFPLooking out for West Africa's migrant children
"I got on a bus to Cotonou sticking to a lady as if I were her son," says the relaxed young man, as if travelling several hundred kilometres alone at such a young age was no big deal -- even if it was to his mother's native country. Seven years later, Jacques is living in the cosmopolitan
AFPFrance's 'yellow vest' protests lose momentum on decisive weekend
Groups of defiant "yellow vest" demonstrators faced off with tens of thousands of police around France on Saturday, but the protest movement appeared to have lost momentum on a fifth and decisive weekend. President Emmanuel Macron, facing the biggest crisis of his presidency, announced a series
ReutersNicaragua police beat journalists in crackdown on free press
Earlier this week police occupied the offices of prominent editor Carlos Fernando Chamorro, along with buildings used by several civil society organizations it had banned. A Reuters witness counted at least seven journalists from international and national media, including Chamorro, who were grabbed
Associated PressFather of Strasbourg attacker said his son backed IS group
PARIS (AP) — The man described as the father of the 29-year-old suspect in this week's deadly Christmas market attack in Strasbourg says his son subscribed to the beliefs of the Islamic State group.
- Associated Press
Family of migrant girl disputes official story on her death
The family of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in U.S. Border Patrol custody is disputing an account from U.S. officials who said she had not been given food or water for days.
- Associated Press
Top Asian News 2:23 a.m. GMT
BEIJING (AP) — While a Huawei executive faces possible U.S. charges over trade with Iran, the Chinese tech giant's ambition to be a leader in next-generation telecoms is colliding with security worries abroad. Australia and New Zealand have barred Huawei Technologies Ltd. as a supplier for fifth-generation
AFPEx-military chief to be next Australia governor-general
A former chief of Australia's defence forces was Sunday appointed as the next governor-general, the representative of Britain's Queen, but will only assume the role after crucial state and federal elections next year. Retired general David Hurley, 65, will be the second ex-defence forces chief
ReutersChina's Xi to address key reform anniversary on Tuesday: Xinhua
President Xi Jinping will make a major speech on Tuesday to mark the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up, state news agency Xinhua reported. Xi will speak at a conference to be held at the Great Hall of the People from 10 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Tuesday, Xinhua said on Sunday. Former leader
Associated PressGirl who died fled intensely poor Guatemalan village
SAN ANTONIO SECORTEZ, Guatemala (AP) — Jakelin Amei Rosmery Caal Maquin received her first pair of shoes several weeks ago, when her father said they would set out together for the United States, thousands of miles from this small indigenous community in Guatemala where she spent her days plodding through
- Reuters
Guatemalan girl's dad: she was healthy, well-hydrated before death at border
A statement from the family of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin, released to reporters in El Paso, Texas, by the head of a migrants shelter where her father was staying, disputed media reports that the girl had gone days without food or water and become dehydrated while traveling from Guatemala through
Associated PressThe Latest: UN climate talks agree on reporting emissions
KATOWICE, Poland (AP) — The Latest on the U.N. climate talks in Poland (all times local):
AFPFake news vs fact in online battle for truth
Since US President Donald Trump weaponised the term "fake news" during the 2016 presidential election campaign, the phrase has gone viral. Increasingly it is used by politicians around the world to denounce or dismiss news reports that do not fit their version of the truth. At the same time
AFPNicaragua police raid opposition paper, end rights groups' permits
Nicaraguan police have raided the offices of an opposition daily and then stripped human rights and activist groups' permission to operate, those targeted said Saturday. Nine police officers armed with rifles entered the offices late Friday and started pushing people, beating others and making fun
Associated PressTroops kill 7 civilians as protest turns bloody in Kashmir
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian forces who were exchanging fire with insurgents in disputed Kashmir on Saturday fatally shot at least seven civilians when large crowds descended on the site of the gunbattle in support of the militants, police and residents said.
Associated PressTear gas in Paris, but fewer protesters and bigger demands
PARIS (AP) — A protest movement that has brought the French into the streets for five Saturdays in a row in a major challenge to President Emmanuel Macron lost momentum in its latest nationwide outcry, but the smaller crowds pushed fervently for one of their expanding demands, a citizen's referendum