Expulsion move worth pondering

More than 20 Western countries have announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy with a nerve agent,

Xi greets Myanmar's new president

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Wednesday to U Win Myint after his election as Myanmar's new president.

No charges in police shooting of black man

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - Nearly two years after a black man was shot and killed during a struggle with two white police officers, Louisiana's attorney general isn't pursuing charges against the officers in a decision that infuriated Alton Sterling's family and frustrated residents in the neighborhood where he died.

Thousands more leave Syria's Ghouta

DAMASCUS - More than 6,000 people, including rebels and their families, evacuated from eastern Ghouta area in Syria's capital Damascus after Wednesday midnight, according to state-run Syrian Arab News Agency.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Putin: Blaze caused by 'negligence'

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday blamed the mall fire that killed at least 64 people in the Siberian city of Kemerovo on "criminal negligence" as he visited the site two days after the tragedy.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Akie's role puts her in scandal spotlight

TOKYO - Japan's first lady, once known mainly for embracing progressive causes that put her at odds with her conservative spouse, is now in the hot seat as doubts persist about a murky land sale to a nationalist school to which she had ties.

Marine move an 'old trick' to shore up support

Japan was expected to launch its amphibious marine brigade on Tuesday in a move interpreted by local media as an attempt to counter maritime advances from China.

Turkey, Russia, Iran to hold talks on Syria amid military campaign

ANKARA - The presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran will meet in a trilateral summit on Syria in Istanbul early next month.

UN official warns of new migrant crisis

CANBERRA - The collapse of the Islamic State group's self-described caliphate in Syria and Iraq has led to extremists mounting a recruitment drive in sub-Sahara Africa that threatens to trigger a new European migrant crisis, the head of the United Nations food agency said on Monday.

US rally organizers vow no letup in gun control campaign

NEW YORK - The youth-led gun control movement in the United States that flexed its public muscle with huge weekend rallies has already nudged Congress to enact minor firearms changes, but must remain active if it hopes to win more meaningful regulations, lawmakers said on Sunday.