Economy pays tab for free lunch on overtime

Japanese workers put up with long hours and unpaid overtime under pressure from cost-saving companies, and figures from government, which wants more money in workers' pockets to boost consumer spending, appear to underestimate the problem.

Royal row: Leader presses case for republic

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has renewed his call for a republic, but only after Queen Elizabeth II's reign, as he outlined a road map for breaking away from the British monarchy.

Hotel maids aim to clean up pay rules

Spain is enjoying a surge in visitors, but hotel maids are not reaping the rewards and are rebelling against their low salaries, which can be as little as 2 euros to clean a room.

Cash crunch closing WHO clinics in Sudan war zones

Dozens of health facilities supported by the World Health Organization in strife-torn areas of Sudan risk closure due to a lack of funds, exposing one million people to likely epidemics.

Restaurant spells out Kurdish hopes for president-elect

The newest enterprise bearing Donald Trump's name is not a five-star hotel or an exclusive golf club. It is a restaurant in northern Iraq serving fire-roasted carp for $10 a kilo which the United States president-elect probably doesn't even know exists.

Storm kills at least six on highways

A winter storm of snow, freezing rain and bone-chilling temperatures socked the nation's mid-section and East Coast on Saturday, causing hundreds of accidents on icy roads and putting a crimp on Christmas shopping.

Soccer crash pilot 'not trained properly'

The pilot in the plane crash that killed 71 people traveling to Colombia on a Bolivian charter including footballers from Brazil had not flown enough hours to pilot commercial flights, a copilot's attorney said on Saturday.

Military transport plane crashes in Papua; 13 dead

An Indonesian military transport plane crashed in bad weather on Sunday in the country's easternmost province of Papua, killing all 13 people on board, officials said.

Government delays removing currency bills amid protests

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has delayed until Jan 2 taking the nation's highest denomination bill out of circulation.

Opposition keeps blocking parliament in standoff

Polish opposition leaders said on Saturday they would maintain their blockade of parliament's main hall and called for popular protests against a government that has accused it of trying to seize power.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

UN to vote on Aleppo observers as 'thousands' await evacuation

The United Nations Security Council was to vote on Sunday on sending observers to Aleppo, as trapped civilians and rebels waited desperately for evacuations to resume from an opposition-held enclave in the flashpoint Syrian city.