World

President Xi Jinping, like many officials before him, is steeped in the party's long-held belief that loosening control too quickly or even at all could lead to chaos and the break up of the country.

The suspect, Takahiro Shiraishi, dubbed the "Twitter killer", reportedly lured his victims -- aged between 15 and 26 -- by trawling social media, and the gruesome discovery has prompted the government to consider tightening internet regulations to restric...

Thousands of people gathered in a central Sydney park, some wearing wedding dresses and sequined suits, broke into a loud cheer, hugged and cried.

Israel's military has said it has carried out around 100 strikes in Syria. Attacks have targeted suspected Hezbollah or Iranian arms depots or have come in retaliation for shelling from the Syrian-held Golan.

It is rare for the North's troops to defect at the truce village, a major tourist attraction and the only part of the frontier where forces from the two sides come face-to-face.

The move thrust Lebanon back to the forefront of a struggle that is reshaping the Middle East, between the conservative Sunni monarchy of Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite revolutionary Iran.

Wearing yellow ribbons on their lapels to signify support, they filled the length of the Avenue Marina that runs from the beach to Barcelona's iconic Sagrada Familia church, while the jailed leaders' families made speeches.

"Why would Kim Jong-Un insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat?' Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!" Trump tweeted from Hanoi, the latest leg on his marathon tour of Asia.

Merkel's conservatives, which bled support to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the September 24 election, are trying to forge a coalition government with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the environmentalist Greens.

Such a demand from lawmakers comes days after the Indian security forces recovered US-made rifle meant for Pakistan from Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar's nephew Talha Rashid from an encounter site in Pulwama district on Monday night.

Niels Hoegel, 41, was convicted in 2015 of two murders and four counts of attempted murder or causing bodily harm on intensive-care patients at the Delmenhorst hospital near the northern city of Bremen.

Gaza's merchants and consumers are reaping early rewards from reconciliation moves by the enclave's dominant Hamas Islamists and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Wednesday's decision of the 22-member Assembly committee is the latest blow to 49-year-old politician Marine Le Pen, who has appeared adrift since her defeat at the hands of Emmanuel Macron in May's presidential runoff.

"The priest says 'lift up your hearts'. He does not say, 'lift up your cell phones to take pictures,'" Francis told tens of thousands of people at his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square, referring to a communion prayer in the Roman Catholic Mass.

Dozens of high-profile figures including princes, ministers as well as billionaire tycoon Al-Waleed bin Talal were arrested at the weekend, in the biggest purge of the kingdom's elite in modern Saudi history.

US President Donald Trump has tweeted energetically throughout his Asian tour so far, but in China he will likely be one of a select few to skirt the country's ban on his cherished website.