Abe may leave tax hike to new PM

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends to push back his debt-loaded country's next tax hike for two and a half years, when he will likely have left office, reports said on Sunday.

More than 13,000 migrants plucked from Mediterranean Sea over past week

A flotilla of ships saved 668 migrants on Saturday from smugglers' boats in distress in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya, Italian authorities said - bringing the week's total of migrants plucked from the sea to a staggering more than 13,000 people.

Putin gives Greek tourism a boost

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a Russian Orthodox monastery on Saturday as he wrapped up a two-day visit to Greece, which is looking for more Russian investment and tourism as it copes with a prolonged financial crisis and a massive wave of migrants.

Ohio zoo closes its gorilla exhibit after boy falls in

Cincinnati Zoo has temporarily closed its gorilla exhibit after a special zoo response team shot and killed a 17-year-old gorilla that grabbed and dragged a 4-year-old boy who fell into a moat.

Fuel shortages abate as hints of compromise emerge in dispute

France's nationwide fuel shortages - the consequence of a bare-knuckle dispute over labor reforms which have pit militant unions against the government - are easing amid signs that both sides may be seeking a compromise.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Unions vow to step up strikes nationwide

President Hollande says economy should not be derailed by opponents of reforms to labor laws

Co-champions include youngest ever

The words were tougher. The final rounds lasted longer. The result was the same.

Review condemns TV show over botched kidnap attempt

The producer behind an Australian television program's involvement in a mother's botched child-snatching operation in Lebanon has lost his job, as the show's founder on Friday dubbed the debacle "the gravest misadventure in the program's history".

Obama pays tribute at nuclear memorial

Foreign Minister Wang Yi reminds international community of scars left by Nanjing Massacre

Citizens protest Obama's Hiroshima visit

Dozens of Japanese citizens gathered in Hiroshima on Thursday, to protest US President Barack Obama's visit to Hiroshima and the two countries' intended political manipulation of the city.

Lingering memories: Vietnam, Hiroshima

Bun cha Huong Lien, an inexpensive street food shop in Hanoi, Vietnam, was made famous overnight on Monday with visits by two unexpected guests.