Indian opposition sweeps elections

BJP secures enough seats in Parliament for majority govt

Dynasty clings to declining power after vote

The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has defined Indian politics for nearly a century faces more than a humiliating election defeat.

Modi's task: Meeting nation's soaring expectations

About a year ago, Narendra Modi sat down with some of India's best and brightest to mount a "shock and awe" election campaign that one strategist likened to the US' unilateral military operation against Saddam Hussein's forces in the Gulf.

Hey Dad! star guilty of sexual assaults

Actor Robert Hughes, star of the popular 1980s Australian sitcom Hey Dad!, was jailed on Friday for at least six years for sexually and indecently assaulting young girls, behavior the judge described as predatory.

IN BRIEF (Page 7)

Report adds steam to Abe's ambitions

Japanese soldiers may need to brace themselves for the prospect of death or injury abroad, as Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is pushing hard for changes to the country's pacifist Constitution that would allow collective self-defense through renewed military forces.

Furious labor unions resort to strike in Turkey

Four Turkish labor unions called for a national one-day strike on Thursday to protest the country's worst industrial disaster, which killed at least 282 people in a coal mine in western Turkey.

Hotel Special: New cocktails cause a stir at Beijing's highest bar

"Imagine the scene: seven o'clock, Wednesday night, a business lady with a short, neat hair cut walks into the bar. What drink would you offer her?" mixologist Luca Cinalli asked.

Thai army warns of 'use of force'

Military chief says measures may be taken if violence continues

Crewmen of S. Korea sunk ferry charged in drownings

The captain and three other crew members of the ferry that sank off South Korea last month were indicted on charges of manslaughter through gross negligence on Thursday, a prosecutor said.

Death toll from Middle East virus rises

Saudi Arabia said that 10 more people infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome had died over the last two days and identified 20 new cases of the virus, pushing the total number of infections in the country to 511.

Two US hospital workers cleared of MERS

Two workers at a Florida hospital who fell ill after caring for the second person in the US diagnosed with the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus have been cleared of infection, a hospital spokesman said on Wednesday.