20 dead as clashes shut airport in Libyan capital

TRIPOLI - Fierce clashes broke out in the Libyan capital on Monday, killing at least 20 people, shutting the airport and damaging planes during what the government said was a failed attempt to spring militants from a nearby prison.

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Palestinian leader rebukes Trump

RAMALLAH, Middle EastPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has slammed the peace deal proposed by US President Donald Trump, calling it a "a slap on the face".

12,000 flee as lava oozes from Mayon volcano

LEGAZPI, The Philippines - Thousands fled from their homes as lava oozed out of a rumbling Philippine volcano on Monday in what volcanologists described as a "quiet eruption", warning it could lead to a hazardous explosion within days.

Nearly 80 injured in floor collapse at Jakarta stock exchange building

JAKARTA - A mezzanine floor overlooking the main lobby of the Indonesian Stock Exchange building collapsed on Monday, injuring nearly 80 people, many of them students, under slabs of concrete and other debris, officials and witnesses said.

Turkey unveils route of 45-km 'Istanbul Canal'

ISTANBUL - The Turkish government on Monday unveiled the route of its planned new canal for Istanbul, a hugely ambitious 45-kilometer project designed to be its answer to the famed artificial shipping lanes in Panama or Egypt's Suez.

Carillion collapses; 43,000 jobs at risk

A UK company that was a key participant in the HS2 train project and known as the firm that runs Britain went into immediate liquidation on Monday, throwing the future of 43,000 direct employees and scores of suppliers into doubt.

Syria blasts US-backed border force

DAMASCUS - The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Monday slammed the United States' bid to form an armed militia in northern Syria, stressing resolve to end the US presence in the country, according to state news agency SANA.

On defensive, Trump says 'I'm not a racist'

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump insisted on Sunday that he was "not a racist", after his reported denunciation of immigration from "shithole" countries triggered a global firestorm of criticism.

Merkel will return to world stage in Davos

BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is considering joining French President Emmanuel Macron at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week in what could turn into an epic clash of competing world views with US President Donald Trump.

Pyongyang sending art troupe to Olympics

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea agreed with the Republic of Korea on Monday to send a 140-member orchestra to the ROK-hosted Winter Olympics, Seoul's Unification Ministry said.

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