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.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

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.

Thailand considers death penalty for officials convicted of graft

Thai officials convicted in corruption cases involving more than 1 billion baht ($28 million) could face the death penalty under a proposal approved on Monday by the National Reform Steering Committee.

Australian health minister stands down over travel expense claims

Australia's health minister temporarily stepped down on Monday while her travel expense claims are investigated. The scandal surrounding Minister Sussan Ley's expense claims could trigger the first reshuffle of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Cabinet since his government was re-elected six months ago.

Iran mourns ex-leader Rafsanjani

Iran began three days of mourning on Monday after the death of ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a pillar of the Islamic Revolution who became a leading counterweight to hardliners.

Israeli police arrest 9 following Palestinian truck-ramming attack

Israeli police stepped up security measures in Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem on Monday, searching trucks and arresting relatives of the Palestinian truck driver who rammed his vehicle into a crowd of Israeli soldiers at a Jerusalem tourist spot the previous day, killing four soldiers and injuring 17 others.