Lizards trained to avoid eating toxic toads

Australian scientists on Wednesday said they had devised an "innovative method of conservation" through feeding giant monitor lizards small cane toads so they won't be killed by larger-sized amphibians.

An emotional Obama unveils plan to cut gun violence

US President Barack Obama, with tears streaking his cheeks, launched a final-year push on Tuesday to tighten sales of firearms in the country, using his presidential powers in the absence of tougher gun restrictions that Congress has refused to pass.

ROK questions whether DPRK tests H-bomb

The defense ministry and spy agency of the Republic of Korea on Wednesday questioned whether the Democratic People's Republic of Korea had tested a hydrogen bomb given the tiny size of seismic activity caused by the hydrogen device detonation.

A-bomb far less powerful, according to experts

The announcement on Wednesday from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that it had carried out a nuclear test brought to the front lines of global attention a phrase not often heard since the Cold War - "the H-bomb".

World reactions

China

A year after 'Je suis Charlie', a divided nation struggles

One year on, an anxious, fragmented France is paying tribute to the victims of the killings at Charlie Hebdo magazine, with old divisions made worse by what President Francois Hollande has called "a terrible year".

Regional row shows US leadership waning

The long-simmering conflict between two major Middle East powers erupted on Sunday when Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran after Iranian protesters stormed its embassy in Teheran over Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric. Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and Shiite-ruled Iran have long been at loggerheads, supporting rival sides in the Syrian and Yemeni conflicts, but an open spat resulting in breakoff of ties still came as a surprise to many.

New Year's sex assaults stoke migrant debate

German leaders expressed shock over dozens of apparently coordinated sexual assaults against women on New Year's Eve in the western city of Cologne blamed on "Arab-looking men," but warned against anti-migrant scapegoating.

Opposition takes control of parliament

Venezuela's opposition took majority control of the National Assembly on Tuesday after years in the political wilderness, setting the stage for a potential power struggle with embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

Mayor's murder probe leads to mass grave

The investigation into the murder of a mayor in central Mexico has led police to a clandestine grave containing five other bodies, authorities said on Tuesday.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Jews still feel sense of being targeted

Ever since a jihadist attack on a kosher store left four people dead a year ago, France's Jews have grown used to soldiers patrolling their neighborhoods and schools.