Hundreds refused entry over watch list discoveries

CANBERRA - Hundreds of Syrian and Iraqi refugees scheduled for resettlement in Australia have been refused entry on grounds of national security, it was revealed on Thursday, after security networks discovered their names were on an international watch list.

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UK follows US with laptop flight ban

WASHINGTON - The United Kingdom has followed the United States by banning larger electronic devices from the passenger cabin on flights from some airports in Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa.

33 killed in strike on shelter for displaced families

DAMASCUS - At least 33 people have been killed in a United States-led airstrike on a school in northern Syria, said a monitor group on Wednesday.

Park subjected to 14-hour interrogation

SEOUL - Former South Korean president Park Geun-hye left prosecutors' offices early on Wednesday after being questioned in an investigation into a corruption scandal that brought an early end to her political career.

One year after attacks, Belgium remembers

In the morning rush hour of March 22 last year, 29-year-old Charles Chauvaux was riding the metro to work. When the train arrived at Maelbeek station, a suicide bomb exploded in the carriage next to his.

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Turkey's refugee card game dicing with failure

ISTANBUL - The Syrian refugee card that Turkey is playing to push the European Union to grant visa-free travel for Turkish citizens risks failure, as many of the refugees choose to stay in Turkey instead of leaving for a hostile Europe, analysts said.

Opponents vow to halt contentious bill

TOKYO - The Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday approved a bill that criminalizes the act of preparing for terrorism and other serious crimes, amid vast political and public opposition.

EU sets April date for negotiations on Brexit

BRUSSELS - The 27 European Union nations will hold a special Brexit summit on April 29 one month after Britain plans to trigger divorce proceedings with the EU to decide on the guidelines for the next two years of negotiations with the United Kingdom.

Good luck coins prove fatal for Thai turtle

BANGKOK - A 25-year-old Thai sea turtle died from blood poisoning on Tuesday, never recovering from an operation to remove 915 coins from her stomach, thrown into her pool for good luck, veterinarians said.

Funds raised to protect heritage sites

PARIS - Seven countries and a donor have pledged $75.5 million (70 million euros) to a UNESCO-backed fund aimed at protecting the world's cultural heritage against war and terrorism.