Putin: Moscow won't expel US diplomats

Russian President Vladimir Putin castigated the United States on Friday for bringing sanctions and expelling Russian diplomats amid allegations of Russian meddling in the US presidential election, but said no US diplomats will be ousted in reprisal for Washington's moves in the wake of hacking attacks.

'Mutual respect' key to ties

China said on Friday that it hopes the United States and Russia could properly solve their differences through friendly negotiations, and handle their relationship on the basis of mutual respect in order to realize its stable development.

Benefits of cash overhaul elusive

Fifty days ago, India yanked most of its currency from circulation without warning, jolting the economy and leaving most citizens scrambling for cash.

Residents surf web at home in Havana pilot project

Downtown Havana resident Margarita Marquez said she received a special Christmas gift this year: web access at home, a rarity in a country with one of the lowest internet penetration rates in the world.

'Pink taxis' challenge nation's social norms

Nisrin Akoubeh checks the oil and water before getting into her taxi and pulling into Amman's heavy traffic for another day of shuttling fellow women across the Jordanian capital.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Mom, 64, gives birth after receiving IVF

A 64-year-old woman in Jilin province is believed to have become the oldest in China to give birth on Wednesday.

Lawyers call for end to child-snatching custody tactics

Dai Xiaolei last saw her son in 2014, when he was 17 months old and living with her in-laws in Baoding, a city in Hebei province about 156 kilometers from Beijing.

Terrorists strike, but progress made

A terrorist attack that left five dead in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Wednesday has come at the end of a year in which China has made significant progress in combating terrorism, a security analyst has said.

Forbidden City opens relic 'hospital'

A state-of-the-art conservation center to "treat" ancient cultural relics in disrepair opened at Beijing's Palace Museum on Thursday.

Anti-graft official in vice probe

An anti-graft official in Sichuan province has been placed under investigation after he was caught soliciting a prostitute.

Making the mighty Mekong safer

Ship's captain joined police patrols after 13 friends were killed in 2011 massacre on the river