India's unemployment rate jumps to a 45-year high in 2017-18

NEW DELHI - India's unemployment rate rose to a 45-year high during 2017-18, the Business Standard newspaper reported on Thursday, citing a government survey. The news is the latest setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi just months before a tightening election.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Chinese company discovers huge British gas field

The United Kingdom's oil and gas regulator has heaped praise on a Chinese energy company for locating one of the largest gas fields off the coast of the country.

'Yellow vest' injuries spark legal challenge in France

The French government is under pressure to reconsider the use of explosive weapons by riot police after several people involved in recent "yellow vest" protests reported serious injuries.

MPs roll dice in quest for last-gasp Brexit deal

British Prime Minister Theresa May now has some clarity about the changes she must make to her proposed Brexit withdrawal deal if she is to have any hope of getting it approved by Parliament - and her task is daunting.

Chicago chilled to the bone by winter temps

They say the cold off Lake Michigan can be pretty brutal, but even Chicagoans are saying, this is ridiculous.

Five arrested after Brazil dam breach

RIO DE JANEIRO - Five employees were arrested on Tuesday for suspected involvement in the breach of a tailings dam owned by the mining giant Vale SA in Brumadinho in Brazil's southeastern state of Minas Gerais.

Maduro offers to talk to his opposition

More than a week into a standoff with the opposition, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday that he is willing to negotiate.

Xi offers condolences over bombings

President Xi Jinping sent a condolence message on Tuesday to his Filipino counterpart Rodrigo Duterte over the deadly bomb attacks on a church in the southern Philippines which killed 20 and injured more than 100.

US slaps sanctions on Venezuelan oil

Venezuelans braced for the deepening of an economic crisis on Tuesday after the United States imposed sanctions sharply curbing the South American country's vital oil exports, while President Nicolas Maduro's government responded by refusing to load crude cargoes without payment.

Syria, Iran reach 'strategic' deals

DAMASCUS - Syria and Iran signed 11 agreements and memorandums of understanding on Monday, including a "long-term strategic economic cooperation" deal aimed at strengthening cooperation between Damascus and Teheran amid the civil war that has torn the country apart.

May offers new compromise on Brexit

The latest installment of the Brexit saga will be played out on Wednesday as Parliament votes on amendments to British Prime Minister Theresa May's proposals for Britain's departure from the European Union, scheduled for the end of March.