President confident as country goes to polls

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was set to renew his 26-year grip on power on Sunday, offering the multiethnic Central Asian state economic and social stability in return for what rights groups described as systematic suppression of opposition.

Putin considers raising retirement age to 65

Taking care of pensioners who are his bedrock of support has been a key feature of President Vladimir Putin's rule, but as the country's economy shrinks, the Russian government is considering an idea that has been taboo for 80 years: raising the retirement age.

Brother: Accused boat pilot was forced

The Tunisian man accused of piloting a migrant boat that sank off Libya, killing more than 700 people, is himself a migrant who was forced at gunpoint to captain the ship because of his experience as a fisherman, his brother said on Saturday.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Baltimore protests turn violent

Protesters rampaged through downtown Baltimore, Maryland, on Saturday, as the city's biggest demonstration thus far turned violent over the death of a young black man in police custody.

Flights disrupted as resurgent volcano spews more ash

Ash from Chile's spewing Calbuco volcano threatened on Saturday to make travel miserable as it triggered the cancellation of domestic and international flights in several cities.

Rooftop restaurant thrives despite war

When nightfall descends upon Gaza, the glittering lights of the Level Up restaurant seem to be the only bright spot in this darkened city.

Airstrikes jeopardize UN talks

Saudi-led warplanes launched more deadly strikes in Yemen on Thursday despite a demand by Iran-backed Houthi rebels for a complete halt to the raids as a condition for UN-sponsored peace talks.

Intelligence shortfalls led to the deaths of 2 hostages

The US drone strike that accidentally killed two hostages in Pakistan exposes intelligence shortfalls that former and current US officials say appear to be growing more frequent as militants expand their safe havens and as Washington gathers less on-the-ground human intelligence.

In US, 'comfort woman' seeks Japanese apology

Korean Lee Yong-Soo was forced into sexual slavery serving Japan's imperial army. Seventy years later, with Japan's prime minister preparing a historic address to the US Congress, she demands just one thing: an apology.

Countdown appears to start for execution of foreigners

Indonesia has asked foreign embassies to send representatives to the maximum-security prison island of Nusakambangan ahead of the expected execution of 10 convicts, although an official 72-hour notice of execution has not been given yet, diplomats said on Friday.

Ceremonies mark Gallipoli, massacre of Armenians

Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan hosted leaders from the former Allied powers of World War I to pay tribute on Friday to the tens of thousands killed in the Battle of Gallipoli 100 years after one of the most wasteful yet emblematic campaigns of the conflict.