Army counting cost of Debbie destruction

SYDNEY - Australia's army and emergency workers headed to areas of tropical Queensland state hardest hit by Cyclone Debbie on Wednesday, finding roads blocked by fallen trees, sugar cane fields flattened and widespread damage in coastal towns.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

UK begins divorce proceedings

The United Kingdom took its first concrete step toward leaving the European Union when it formally notified the president of the European Council of that intention on Wednesday.

Scottish parliament backs new vote bid

EDINBURGH - The Scottish parliament on Tuesday backed a bid to hold a new independence referendum in 2018 or 2019, but the British government immediately rejected the proposal.

Rape case may boost immigration reform

WASHINGTON - The brutal rape of a teenage girl by two illegal immigrants on March 16 could become a rallying cry for United States President Donald Trump's coming immigration reform.

S. African anti-apartheid icon Kathrada dies

CAPE TOWN - Veteran South African anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada, who was sentenced to life imprisonment alongside Nelson Mandela and went on to be an open critic of President Jacob Zuma, died on Tuesday aged 87.

Scottish MPs to hold independence vote

EDINBURGH - Just a day before Britain kick-starts Brexit proceedings, the Scottish parliament is on Tuesday expected to dismiss Prime Minister Theresa May's overtures and back calls for a fresh independence referendum.

S.Korea ferry workers find human remains

SEOUL - Salvage workers who raised South Korea's sunken Sewol ferry found bone fragments on Tuesday believed to be from victims missing since the 2014 disaster, the maritime ministry said.

Japan seeks answers in avalanche deaths

TOKYO - Investigators pored over a mountain on Tuesday after an avalanche tore through a group of high school students and teachers, killing eight, amid questions about why avalanche warnings were ignored and whether they had proper equipment.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Thousands flee as cyclone bears down on Australia

SYDNEY - Thousands of Australians abandoned their homes as a powerful cyclone bore down on coastal towns in Queensland on Monday, while others ignored authorities' advice to evacuate with winds forecast to reach up to 300 km/h

Japan's cabinet support drops over land scandal

TOKYO - Support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet slipped further over a shady land deal scandal here, with the majority of the respondents considering the government not doing enough to clear up the issue, according to a Kyodo News poll released on Sunday.