Crying refugee girl puts Merkel on spot

German Chancellor Angela Merkel came under criticism on Thursday for her awkward treatment of a young refugee brought to tears by the German chancellor's comments on asylum.

Ukrainians, Aussies mark tragedy

Residents of the Ukrainian village where a Malaysian airliner was shot down with 298 people aboard a year ago joined a procession to the crash site on Friday, while Australia's prime minister remembered the "savagery" of the disaster as he unveiled a plaque in Canberra set in soil taken from where the wreckage fell.

IS claims Riyadh suicide bombing

A suicide bomber wounded two policemen at a checkpoint near a high-security prison in the Saudi capital of Riyadh in an attack claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

Uber says $7.3m fine 'deeply disappointing'

Ride-booking app Uber said on Thursday that a $7.3 million California fine handed to one of its subsidiaries for not turning over internal information about rides was "deeply disappointing".

IN BRIEF (Page 9)

Police raze illegal gold mines

Peruvian police razed dozens of illegal gold mining camps at the edge of an Amazonian nature reserve this week, part of a renewed bid to halt the spread of wildcatting in a remote rain forest region.

Cutting-edge hotel uses robots at check-in desk

The English-speaking receptionist is a vicious-looking dinosaur, and the one speaking Japanese is a female humanoid with blinking lashes. "If you want to check in, push one," the dinosaur says.

Grocers in pricing war 'misleading' consumers

Britain's competition regulator has found that some customers are being misled by the country's embattled supermarkets and ordered the retailers to provide greater clarity on their promotional offers.

Clerics seek to rid Islam of extremists

During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Muslims are called on to reflect on their faith as they conduct their daily fast. This past month, some clerics and scholars reflected on ways to reform the religious discourse in Islam to keep up with modern-day challenges and oppose extremism.

Johnny Depp's wife charged with sneaking dogs

Johnny Depp's wife, Amber Heard, has been charged with illegally bringing the couple's dogs to Australia - an incident that captured global attention after the nation's agriculture minister angrily ordered the animals to get out of the country or face death.

Around the world

An Australian schoolboy who discovered a new species of jellyfish in a Queensland canal has had the tentacled creature named in his honor, scientists said.

Army says Indian gunfire killed four Kashmir civilians

Pakistan's army said on Thursday that Indian troops had killed at least four civilians in the latest cease fire violation in the disputed Kashmir region.