Japan sets date for emperor's successor

Japan is planning for Emperor Akihito to retire and be replaced by his eldest son early in 2019, reports said on Wednesday, as the country works on a legal framework for its first abdication in 200 years.

Diplomats among 56 killed in Afghan blasts

Five UAE officials were among 56 people killed in a string of bombings across Afghan cities, authorities said on Wednesday, as Taliban militants step up a deadly winter campaign of violence.

Reporter who broke news of WWII dies at 105

Veteran British war correspondent Clare Hollingworth, who broke the news that World War II had started, died on Tuesday aged 105.

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FIFA to expand World Cup to 48 teams in 2026

Africa and Asia could be winners with up to nine places for each

Trump's son-in-law to take senior post

US president-elect Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will become a senior White House adviser working on trade and the Middle East, transition officials said on Monday, in a rare case of a close presidential family member taking a major job.

Norway reviews Breivik's 'inhumane' prison conditions

A Norwegian court on Tuesday was reviewing a government appeal against a ruling that the isolation of mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik was inhumane and violates his human rights.

Second VW employee arrested over emissions scheme

The Volkswagen executive who once was in charge of complying with US emissions regulations was arrested during the weekend in Florida and accused of deceiving federal regulators about the use of special software that cheated on emissions tests.

Smoking costs more than $1 trillion a year

Smoking costs the global economy more than $1 trillion a year, and will kill one third more people by 2030 than it does now, according to a study by the World Health Organization and the US National Cancer Institute published on Tuesday.

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Abe slammed over slave deal remarks

South Korean opposition parties on Monday denounced Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his comments on the agreement for the South Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery.

Widodo moves to rein in military chief

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo reproached his military chief in a meeting last week amid concerns the commander was "out of control" after he unilaterally suspended defense cooperation with Australia, two sources briefed on the meeting said.