90-year-old Queen Elizabeth cuts back on royal engagements

Queen Elizabeth II will stand down as patron of 25 bodies including the Wimbledon tennis championships and the Rugby Football Union, handing them to other royals after turning 90, her office said on Tuesday.

European foie gras producers feed new markets

Every Christmas, foie gras producers in Bulgaria and Hungary are overwhelmed with overseas orders, but while France remains their key client, the hunt for more lucrative markets is leading to Asia.

Asia spread fears grow as deadly virus brings cull

A virulent strain of airborne bird flu extended its shadow across northeast Asia as Japan launched a new chicken cull on a southern island, days after gassing hundreds of thousands of birds some 2,400 kilometers to the north.

Italy approves plan to prop up banks

Italy's Parliament gave the green light on Wednesday for a $20.8 billion plan to prop up the country's weaker banks, starting with a bailout as early as this week for the third largest, Monte dei Paschi di Siena.

21 students suspended in hazing investigation

A state-run medical college in the southern Indian state of Kerala has suspended 21 students, following allegations of hazing.

Eggs in short supply as S.Korea battles its worst outbreak

Moon Hong-nam, a pastry chef in Seoul, needs at least 15,000 eggs a day to bake cakes, but after South Korea's worst outbreak of bird flu and a surge in the prices of eggs, he is considering changing his menu.

Germany hunts suspect as IS claims attack

Assault comes at a sensitive time for Merkel who is running for a fourth term in 2017

Ruling party faces split over impeachment

South Korea's ruling party on Wednesday faced an imminent split over the impeachment of scandal-hit President Park Geun-hye, a development that would seriously undermine its presidential election chances.

Fireworks market blasts kill at least 31

A series of massive explosions destroyed a fireworks market outside the Mexican capital on Tuesday, killing at least 31 people, injuring dozens and leaving the market a charred wasteland.

Russia, Iran, Turkey cast as dealmakers

Russia, Turkey and Iran cast themselves as the essential dealmakers in Syria on Tuesday, saying at a meeting in Moscow that their cooperation could pave the way for a future settlement in Syria.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Skid Row runners making strides in pursuit of new life

Dawn is breaking over downtown Los Angeles as a small group of men and women set off on a 10-kilometer run from Skid Row, the epicenter of the city's homelessness crisis.