Retirees hatch plan for novel sweaters

MILTON, MASSACHUSETTS - Sweaters for chickens? It sounds like a joke, but a plucky group of retirees in suburban Boston has hatched a plan to keep poultry warm during the New England winter.

Subway excavation unearths 2,000 years of history in Algiers

ALGIERS, ALGERIA - An archaeological treasure trove on the site of a planned metro station in central Algiers is set to become a museum, opening a window on 2,000 years of history.

Pakistan to have 1st census in 19 years

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan will this week embark on the enormous task of conducting its first census in almost two decades, after years of bickering between politicians concerned about power bases and federal funding.

Saudi king seeks help on diversifying economy

TOKYO - King Salman and hundreds of business leaders from Saudi Arabia are in Japan for talks on Monday mainly focused on economic relations.

Park criticized over defiance, may face probe

SEOUL - Ousted South Korean leader Park Geun-hye faced criticism on Monday over a defiant vow that the truth of her impeachment would be revealed, with the main opposition party urging prosecutors to investigate her quickly.

Turkish-Dutch crisis deepens after bitter accusations traded

ISTANBUL - A diplomatic crisis between Turkey and the Netherlands deepened on Monday as both sides traded bitter accusations after Turkish ministers were blocked from holding rallies to win support for plans to expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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Turkey vows 'harshest' retaliation to Dutch ban

ANKARA/THE HAGUE - Turkey told the Netherlands on Sunday that it would retaliate in the "harshest ways" after Turkish ministers were barred from speaking in Rotterdam in a row over Ankara's political campaigning among Turkish emigres.

ROK liberals could bring softer stance on DPRK relations

SEOUL - The liberal politician expected to succeed disgraced Park Geun-hye as the Republic of Korea's next president could significantly soften Seoul's stance towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and possibly delay deployment of a US missile-defence system.

Assad says yet to see real steps on IS by US

BEIRUT - Syrian President Bashar Assad said he had yet to see "anything concrete" from US President Donald Trump over his vow to defeat the Islamic State group and called US forces in Syria "invaders" because they were there without government permission.

Intruder scales White House fence

WASHINGTON - An intruder carrying a backpack was arrested after scaling a fence around the White House and entering the grounds, the US Secret Service said on Saturday, in the latest breach of security at the president's official residence.

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