WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama has made a rare Oval Office address after the San Bernardino shootings that left 14 dead. He said the killings were “an act of terrorism designed to kill innocent people”. But “freedom is more powerful than fear,” said President Obama, warning that falling prey to divisiveness in American society…
CARACAS – The opposition in Venezuela has won a majority of seats in the National Assembly, overturning nearly two decades of dominance by the Socialists of President Nicolas Maduro. Five hours after polling ended, the National Electoral Council announced the opposition had won 99 seats. President Maduro has admitted defeat, recognising “these adverse results”. It…
LONDON – A total of 23 people have been arrested and dozens of weapons seized in a series of raids on suspected Islamist militants across France, officials say. The crackdown follows multiple attacks on bars, restaurants a concert hall and a stadium in Paris on Friday, in which 129 people were killed. A police operation…
NEW YORK – Republican Donald Trump’s plan to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants from the US has been savaged by his party rivals in a TV debate. His hardline proposal was attacked as impractical and divisive by John Kasich and Jeb Bush, who are also running for the Republican presidential nomination. Mr Trump, a billionaire…
NAYPYIDAW – Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi has told the BBC she believes her party has won a parliamentary majority, in her first interview since the historic elections. Early results point to a sweeping victory for her National League for Democracy (NLD), but final official results will not be known for days. The election was…
MOSCOW – Theories about the cause of a Russian airliner crash in Sinai that killed 224 passengers are “speculation” at this stage, the Kremlin says. “Any sort of version of what happened… can only be put forward by the investigation,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists. He was speaking after US and UK officials said intelligence…
BUCHAREST – Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta has resigned, a day after some 20,000 people took to the streets to protest against a nightclub fire that left 32 people dead. Friday night’s blaze in Bucharest started when a band performing at the club set off fireworks. Demonstrators called for Mr Ponta to step down, complaining…
WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton is set to testify in front of a Congressional committee about the attack on a US consulate in Libya in 2012 that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans. She was secretary of state at the time and is likely to face tough questions. This is Mrs…
MOSCOW – Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has visited Moscow on his first overseas trip since the civil war broke out in his country in 2011, state TV says. During the surprise visit, he held talks with President Vladimir Putin. Russia launched air strikes in Syria last month against the so-called Islamic State and other militant…
BEIJING – China’s economy grew 6.9% in the third quarter, the weakest rate since the global financial crisis. The year-on-year growth rate is also below the government’s 7% target. Though slightly above expectations, the data is expected to raise pressure on policymakers to step up monetary policy to stem the slowdown. China’s economy has been…
