Obama shortens prison sentences for 153 people, pardons 78 others
HONOLULU – United States’ President Barack Obama has shortened the prison sentences for 153 convicts, mainly low-level drug offenders, and pardoned 78 others, the White House said. Obama has commuted…
Australia, France sign lucrative DCNS submarines deal
Australia and France formally sealed an agreement on Tuesday under which French naval contractor DCNS will build a new fleet of submarines, a deal worth $50 billion. Australia selected DCNS…
Truck ploughs into crowd at Berlin Christmas market, 12 dead
A truck has ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others in what Germany’s interior minister said looked like an attack.…
Vietnam jails 2 activists for planning democratic revolution
HANOI – A court in northern Vietnam has sentenced two activists to more than a decade in prison each for attempting to form a pro-democracy organisation, various media outlets report.…
United Nations’ chief fears genocide about to start in South Sudan
UNITED NATIONS – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday he feared genocide was about to start in South Sudan unless immediate action is taken, renewing his plea for…
Gunfire erupts across Kinshasa as Congolese protest Kabila
KINSHASA – Gunfire could be heard in several districts of Kinshasa early on Tuesday, as demonstrators demanded that President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired at midnight. Reuters…
Russian ambassador shot dead in Ankara gallery
NKARA – The Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot in the back and killed as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery on Monday by an off-duty police…
Miss Puerto Rico crowned Miss World 2016
Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Del Valle has been crowned Miss World 2016, winning the top prize in the 66th edition of the pageant held this year in the United States. The…
87 new plant and animal species found in Vietnam
The World Wildlife Fund has named 87 new species found in Vietnam, highlighting the country’s rich biodiversity. The latest report titled Species Oddity reveals 163 new species of both animals…
Ten policemen in Egypt charged with torturing man to death
CAIRO – Ten policemen in Egypt have been charged with torturing a man to death at a police station in Cairo in November, a judicial source and the victim’s lawyer…
