Gifts worth $168k make Oscar losers smile

Twenty Oscar-nominated directors, actors and actresses went home on Sunday without a coveted statuette - but they weren't entirely empty-handed.

69 dead as boat sinks after collision

The death toll in a ferry accident in central Bangladesh soared to 69 on Monday, after emergency workers recovered more bodies from the wreckage of an overcrowded boat that sank after colliding with a cargo vessel.

Blast casts shadow over peace deal

A blast killed at least two people and injured nine others during a march in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Sunday, casting a shadow over the 10-day-old cease-fire agreement.

Crown Prince urges nation not to forget horrors of WW2

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito has made a call to remember Japan's wartime past and the horrors of World War Two - remarks that come as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks to recast his country's wartime history.

South Korea summons Japanese diplomat to protest 'Takeshima Day'

South Korea summoned a senior Japanese diplomat on Monday to strongly protest Japan's latest move of sending a high-level government official to attend the controversial "Takeshima Day" event.

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Military operation in Syria evacuates tomb, moves crypt

Turkey launched an overnight military operation into neighboring Syria to evacuate troops guarding an Ottoman tomb and to move the crypt to a new location, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Sunday.

PM says 'system' failed public before siege

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Sunday that "the system" had let the public down by failing to protect it from the "monster" who carried out a deadly siege in a Sydney cafe.

Ex-president says he's still the ruler

The Yemeni leader who resigned the presidency last month and fled to the country's south on Saturday said all actions taken since Shiite rebels stormed the capital, Sanaa, in September are illegitimate, hinting that he will seek to reclaim his power and office.

Nation's founding father hospitalized with pneumonia

Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's founding father, has been hospitalized for severe pneumonia, the Prime Minister's Office said.

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Shoeshine man's Olympian gift

A humble Spanish shoeshiner on Monday surrendered the rights to a valuable Twitter account to publicize 2016's Rio Olympics for free, and he wants to do the same with the handle@japan for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.