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Rifle incident stokes tensions

Police officer suspended after pointing weapon at protesters

Study: Japan rife with addictions

Nearly 5 percent of Japanese adults are addicted to gambling, a rate up to five times greater than most other nations, according to a study released to local media on Wednesday.

German army's WWI atrocities haunt Belgium

Bloody German atrocities against Belgian civilians at the outset of World War I still haunt gentle towns such as Dinant and Louvain whose sacrifice sparked global outrage and a drive to curb war crimes.

Burglars again target Interpol building

Thieves have broken into the building that houses Interpol and an elite South African police unit in the South African capital, Pretoria, for the second time in three weeks, a spokesman said Thursday.

Maori bear brunt of NZ's inequality gap

Social inequality in New Zealand has grown worse over the last decade, with the indigenous Maori and ethnic Pacific island groups faring worst in measurements of health, education and employment, according to research published on Thursday.

Thai army chief named prime minister

Move seen as latest effort by military to consolidate its power in country

Canadian drug dealer handed a 27-year sentence

A Canadian drug kingpin dubbed the "Pot Playboy" was sentenced to 27 years in prison for leading a $1 billion international drug trafficking enterprise, prosecutors said.

Airstrike kills 3 senior Hamas leaders

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed three senior leaders of the Hamas military wing on Thursday, the militant group said, in what is likely to be a major blow to the organization's morale and a significant scoop for Israeli intelligence.

US unleashes new attacks on Islamic militants

The United States launched a new barrage of airstrikes against the Islamic State extremist group that seized a swath of territory across Iraq and Syria and beheaded US journalist James Foley.

Beheading puts spotlight on british jihadists

The distinct English accent of the militant seen beheading US journalist James Foley in a grisly online video has forced Britain once again to confront the question of how it became an exporter of jihadist fighters.

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