Dementia patient jailed for arson

An 82-year-old man suffering from dementia was jailed for 20 years by a court of the Republic of Korea on Friday for setting a fire at a hospice for the elderly in which 22 people died.

Immigration reforms to protect 5m

Obama defies Congress with biggest changes in nearly three decades

Mexicans demand return of students

A largely peaceful march by tens of thousands of people demanding the return of 43 missing students ended in violence, as a small group of masked protesters battled police in Mexico City's main square.

At least 45 dead in Boko Haram attack

At least 45 people were killed in a suspected Boko Haram attack in northeast Nigeria, officials and witnesses said on Thursday, in the latest violence to hit the restive region.

Western New York faces threats of rain, flooding after snowdrifts

Snowfall that brought huge snowdrifts and closed roads around Buffalo is finally expected to stop, but residents still face the threat of rain and higher temperatures through the weekend that could bring flooding.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Winelovers hail 2014 Beaujolais Nouveau arrival

Thousands of wine lovers braved the cold to get the first sip of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau in its hometown as part of a time-honored tradition to celebrate the arrival of the young French wine.

School of performing arts survives in Baghdad

Ann Khalid did not feel well, but she insisted on dancing a brief scene from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake with her classmates. The 12-year-old is determined to one day have a career both dancing and teaching ballet, not an easy path in a country torn by conflict.

Pyongyang denounces UN rights resolution

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Thursday denounced a UN resolution on human rights in the country and indicated it might conduct a new nuclear test to counter "US hostile policy" toward Pyongyang.

Kerry scrambles to save Iran nuke deal

With a deadline for an Iranian nuclear deal fast approaching, US Secretary of State John Kerry embarked on a frenzy of high-stakes diplomacy on Wednesday in a last-minute push to secure an agreement - or at least prevent the process from collapsing.

Cameron risks losing out to anti-EU UKIP as two-party system creaks

British Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservatives risked losing a second parliamentary seat to the anti-EU UKIP party on Thursday, foreshadowing a possible political upheaval in next year's national election.

Venezuelans get creative amid shortages

Cloth diapers, baking soda to make deodorant and vinegar to mop the floor is not the shopping list of an eco-friendly hipster but how an increasing number of resourceful Venezuelans are making do in a time of severe shortages.