Tajik parliament votes to name president 'leader of nation'
Tajikistan's parliament on Wednesday unanimously voted to grant President Emomali Rakhmon the title 'Leader of the Nation' for life.
EU may delay Russia sanctions decision to next week
EU nations may delay a decision on whether to roll over economic sanctions against Russia.
Gulf monarchs seek united front at annual summit
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates face regional divisions, but will struggle to find common ground.
Hard economic lessons as China's coal boom ends
China's coal industry is now crippled by oversupply, but its companies are too big to fail.
Japanese monks karate chop, chant in funeral contest
Japanese Buddhist monks strutted their stuff in a contest highlighting sutra chanting skills, giving funeral sermons and loud karate chops.
70,000 sign petition to ban Trump from Britian
Over 70,000 people sign a petition to ban Donald Trump from entering Britain after his call to bar Muslims from entering the United States.
Turkey says not dependent on Russia for nuclear plant
Turkey insists it is not dependent on Russia to build its first nuclear power plant amid uncertainty over the $20 billion project.
'Virtual trees' turn the Eiffel Tower green for COP21
The Eiffel Tower turned green Sunday for the opening of the Paris climate conference, marking the launch of an art project that will see "virtual trees" grow on the landmark to support reforestation.
Trump scraps press event as black pastors deny endorsement
Donald Trump abruptly scrapped a news conference designed to showcase his support from black religious leaders, as African-American pastors lined up to deny they were willing to endorse the Republican frontrunner.
Psy says 'no chance' of another Gangnam Style success
"Gangnam Style" star Psy acknowledged that he could never repeat the phenomenal global success of his 2012 hit, but said he was perfectly happy being "just another" K-pop artist.
Beloved Russian filmmaker Ryazanov dies
Eldar Ryazanov, one of the most popular film directors of the Soviet era whose comedies captured the unique absurdities of life under Communism, died Monday aged 88.
Turkey sends corpse of shot down pilot back to Russia: reports
Turkey on Monday sent back to Russia the corpse of a pilot killed when his plane was shot down by the Turkish air force for allegedly violating its air space on the Syrian border.
EU, Turkey agree 3bn euro aid deal to stem migrant crisis: Tusk
The European Union and Turkey agreed on a deal to stem the migrant crisis, including a three-billion-euro ($3.2-billion) aid package for Syrian refugees in Turkey.
Assad says enemies boosting his opponents
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his enemies have increased support for rebels fighting his regime as loyalists backed by Russia and Iran push an offensive to regain lost territory.
Olympics: Hamburg in crunch vote over 2024 Games bid
Hamburg residents voted in a crunch referendum on whether the northern German city should push ahead with its bid to host the 2024 Olympics.
Pope opens 'Holy Door' in Bangui ahead of Catholic Jubilee year
Pope Francis made a highly symbolic gesture by opening a "Holy Door" at Bangui Cathedral in the Central African Republic ahead of the start of a Catholic Jubilee Year.
Mass brawls erupt in crowded migrant shelters in Germany
Clashes broke out between hundreds of asylum seekers at a shelter in Berlin, in the second mass brawl to erupt over the weekend in Germany's crowded migrant accommodations.
Facebook ramps paid leave time for new dads
With Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg about to become a dad, the social network boosted the amount of time fathers can take off to bond with their new babies.
French PM Valls calls on Gulf to accept more refugees
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has called on the Gulf states to accept more refugees fleeing Syria, saying that a "humanitarian disaster" could erupt in the Balkans if Europe does not control its borders.
Russia-Turkey war of words escalates over downed warplane
Moscow slapped sanctions on Ankara as the war of words over a downed Russian warplane escalated, with Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning Russia not to "play with fire".
