Traffickers use soccer to trick boys

On the pitches of ramshackle soccer academies across West Africa, teenage boys chase one another in pursuit of the ball, the chance to impress, and the prospect of a lucrative contract with one of Europe's top teams.

MP: Aussie youths risking their lives

A leading Australian senator said Monday the country's young people are playing "Russian roulette" with illegal drugs following a spate of arrests, overdoses and two deaths at a high-profile music festival. Nick Xenophon, a member of Australia's upper house of Parliament, suggested a colonial inquest may shed some light on whether the deaths and overdoses during this year's Stereosonic tour were preventable.

Natural gas deal push angers Israelis

As Israel prepares to push through a long-delayed landmark natural gas deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a growing backlash by protesters who accuse him of using shady backroom dealings and strong-arm tactics to push through the plan.

Top judge backs plan to limit driving

India's chief justice has backed a plan to restrict cars on the roads of Delhi, the country's national capital territory, and said he would be prepared to take the bus to work, calling on other judges to join.

First US shipment in months blasts off

A US shipment of much-needed groceries and other astronaut supplies rocketed toward the International Space Station for the first time in months on Sunday, reigniting NASA's commercial delivery service.

Family urges amnesty as anti-IS Australian arrives home

An Australian who joined Kurds battling the Islamic State group in Syria arrived home on Monday, as his parents called him "a hero" and pleaded with authorities not to charge him under foreign-fighter laws.

Far-right party surges in first balloting

France's far-right National Front saw record gains in the first round of regional polls on Sunday, held under a state of emergency just three weeks after extremists killed 130 people in Paris.

Ex-president Carter: Brain cancer is gone

Former US president Jimmy Carter delivered an unexpected message on Sunday that his latest brain scan showed no sign of cancer.

'We are ashamed', California shooter's estranged kin say

Estranged relatives of a Pakistani woman involved in a mass shooting in California spoke on Sunday of their shame at her crimes, as former classmates and teachers painted a picture of a quiet, religiously conservative student.

Opposition wins majority in parliamentary elections

Venezuela's opposition coalition won a majority in Parliament during legislative elections on Sunday, the country's National Electoral Council said on Monday.

NATO won't send ground troops

NATO has ruled out sending ground troops to fight against Islamic State militants in Syria, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a Swiss newspaper, stressing the need to bolster local forces in the conflict.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)