IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Syrian refugees prepare for long exile in Jordanian camp

Salam Ashara and his family left Syria in early 2013, when no one expected the civil war in their country to rage for years with no signs of relenting and create the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Less is more as Japanese minimalist movement grows

Fumio Sasaki's one-room Tokyo apartment is so stark friends liken it to an interrogation room. He owns three shirts, four pairs of trousers, four pairs of socks and a meager scattering of various other items.

Wombat dies sad, depressed after storm

An Australian wombat who became depressed after a massive cyclone tore through his wildlife park home, depriving him of cuddles with tourists, has died, prompting an outpouring on social media.

Debut of world's biggest plane nears

A space launch company bankrolled by Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen intends to compete with space entrepreneurs and industry stalwarts by launching satellites into orbit from the world's biggest airplane.

New York liquor law would allow Sunday boozing with brunch

On Sunday mornings, some New Yorkers count down the minutes till noon, when they can legally order an alcoholic drink to cap their brunch.

Rome elects its first female mayor

5-Star Movement Party defeats ruling party candidates, sets sights on national elections

Bodies pile up as police show new boss they're tough on drug dealers

Philippine police killed 11 suspected drug dealers during operations during the weekend, police said on Monday, adding to a surge of drug-related killings since Rodrigo Duterte swept an election last month on promises to wipe out crime.

Rival EU camps vie to seize momentum for final stretch

Rival camps battled on Monday into the final stretch before Britain's referendum on European Union membership, after the shock killing of a lawmaker halted the campaign.

Assange starts 5th year cooped in embassy

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange started his fifth year camped out in the Ecuadorean embassy in London on Sunday, an occasion marked by his supporters with events celebrating whistle-blowers.

DPRK not to free US citizens until 'babbling' stops

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea will not negotiate with the United States over two US citizens it is holding until former detainee Kenneth Bae stops publicly talking about his time in prison, state media said on Monday.

Nepali guards among 25 killed in attacks

A busload of Nepali security guards were among 25 people killed in a string of bombings across Afghanistan on Monday, days after Washington expanded the US military's authority to strike the insurgents.