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.

Supporters of impeached leader clash with protesters

Supporters of impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye clashed with protesters on Saturday, as large crowds of demonstrators again gathered in Seoul to demand the scandal-ridden leader's immediate ouster.

Russia ramps up ceasefire talks

Russia announced on Friday it was negotiating with the Syrian opposition and seeking a nationwide ceasefire, as the evacuation of civilians and fighters from the last rebel-held parts of Aleppo entered a second day.

Putin, Abe agree on economic relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed in Tokyo on Friday to start negotiations on joint economic activities on the four disputed islands that have prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty.

Traces of explosives found on debris

Egyptian investigators said on Thursday traces of explosives had been found on the remains of victims of an Egyptair flight that crashed en route from Paris to Cairo, but French officials warned against drawing conclusions on the cause of the crash.

Critics slam approval of 'designer babies'

The United Kingdom became the first country on Thursday to formally license an in-vitro fertilization treatment designed to create babies from three people.