Quiet time and writing: Obama plots new chapter

He is ready for some quiet time, plans to do some writing and intends to give his successor space to govern, at least on most issues.

30 missing in Italy after avalanche buries hotel

Rescue workers were met with an eerie silence on Thursday when they reached a four-star spa hotel struck by an avalanche in a mountainous earthquake-stricken region of central Italy. At least 30 people were missing, including at least two children, authorities said.

EU leaders welcome clarity over EU exit

EU leaders on Wednesday welcomed clarity from the United Kingdom over what it wants from Brexit talks, with Germany's Angela Merkel promising a united front in what will be "very intensive" negotiations.

London lights up with Silk Road lanterns

Hundreds of traditional Chinese lanterns are lighting up the sprawling gardens of London's Chiswick House and Gardens to celebrate the coming Lunar New Year.

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Obama cuts prison term for Manning

President Barack Obama on Tuesday shortened the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, the former United States military intelligence analyst who was responsible for a 2010 leak of classified materials to anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, the biggest such breach in US history.

Court considers arrest of Samsung heir

A South Korean court is considering whether to approve the arrest of Samsung Group vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong, one of the country's wealthiest business leaders, on charges of bribery and other offenses.

Merkel announces date for German election

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government on Wednesday set September 24 as the date for a general election, as she seeks a fourth term facing populist headwinds over a record migrant influx.

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Search for MH370 ends after 3 years

After nearly three years, the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ended in futility and frustration on Tuesday, as crews completed their deep-sea search of a desolate stretch of the Indian Ocean without finding a trace of the plane.

Mexico town fears festival shooting is sign of impending drug cartel war

While authorities investigate what set off a deadly shooting at an electronic music festival event, residents said it came amid a growing and increasingly open drug scene in this resort town that has long been spared the violence of Mexico's cartel wars.

Nightclub massacre suspect captured in Istanbul raid

Turkish police captured the gunman who carried out the deadly New Year's nightclub attack in Istanbul, with officials saying on Tuesday that he's an Uzbekistan national who trained in Afghanistan and confessed to the massacre.