NEW YORK – Donald Trump has come under attack from all sides in a fiery debate between the top Republican presidential candidates in the 2016 election. The party’s frontrunner, a billionaire businessman with no political experience, refused to apologise over comments about the wife of Jeb Bush. And he was on the receiving end when…
ZAGREB – Crowds of migrants crossing from Serbia have broken through riot police lines on the Croatian border at Tovarnik. Croatia is struggling to deal with at least 6,000 arrivals since Wednesday morning after Hungary closed its border with Serbia, blocking the previous route into the European Union. Croatian officials say migrants must apply for…
DAMASCUS – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said in an interview for Russian TV he will not quit under foreign pressure, saying the Syrian people must decide. Western powers and much of the Syrian opposition say it is not conceivable for Mr Assad to lead a post-war Syria. Mr Assad said Iran was supporting his…
CANBERRA – It was to his Christian faith that former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott turned to draw inspiration on his last day in office, quoting the Psalms “what shall I render unto the Lord for all his blessings to me?” He didn’t look blessed. But perhaps it was his faith that eventually gave the…
LONDON – Britain on Monday announced it had appointed a minister to deal specifically with the 20 000 Syrian refugees that the country has agreed to resettle from camps bordering the war-torn country. “The queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Richard Harrington MP as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State jointly at…
CANBERRA – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has vowed to fight for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Party, after a surprise challenge from former minister and one-time party leader Malcolm Turnbull. Members of the Liberal government will meet later Monday to decide the posts of prime minister and deputy prime minister, in a vote…
CARACUS – Prominent Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has been sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison. He was found guilty of inciting violence during protests in 2014 in which 43 people – from both sides of the political divide – were killed. The 44-year-old had been held in a military prison since…
JOSO – Widespread flooding and landslides in north-east Japan have forced more than 90,000 people to abandon their homes. The city of Joso, north of the capital, Tokyo, was hit by a wall of water after the Kinugawa River burst its banks. Helicopter rescue teams have been plucking people from rooftops. One person has been…
MINNESOTA – The US dentist who sparked an international outcry after killing a lion in Zimbabwe has said he did nothing wrong and is planning to return to work this week. Speaking in his first interview since the July killing of Cecil the lion, Walter Palmer said he had been unaware of the animal’s significance….
VIENNA – The massive flood of refugees in Europe are pushing Germany and Austria to a tipping point. Well over 17,500 refugees have poured into the two countries in just the past two days, trying to escape the bombings, terrorists and dire conditions ravaging their homelands. “We have helped more than 12,000 people in an…
