Sun officially rises on Kempinski hotel

Sunrise Kempinski Hotel, Beijing, a new landmark in the capital, had its official opening on Monday, marking the completion of Kempinski's largest development in China.

Round up

Maria Grueter, a German national, was appointed general manager of Kempinski Hotel Harbin recently. Prior to her new role, she was hotel manager at Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, Germany.

IS silent as deadline for swap passes

Japan, Jordan continue cooperation as they seek information on captives held by Islamic State

Chaos follows hospital blast

Inside the maternity hospital on the western edge of Mexico City, concern quickly turned to panic as the sour smell of propane seeped in and a vapor cloud grew at the emergency room's entrance.

Israel plans West Bank homes

Israel's government issued tenders on Friday to build 450 new housing units in Jewish settlements in the Palestinian West Bank, according to the Israel Lands Administration.

Militant group claims responsibility for Sinai attacks on army, police

An Egyptian militant organization affiliated with the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for simultaneous attacks that struck more than a dozen army and police targets in three towns in the Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 26 security officers.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Internet to 'disappear', Google boss tells Davos

Major tech leaders say connectivity creates jobs and promotes greater global equality

Survivors relive atrocities, 70 years on

The piercing screams of a woman electrocuted on a barbed wire fence, children sent to the gas chambers and the constant threat of death: Auschwitz survivors recall life in the world's most notorious death camp with remarkable clarity.

Authorities tackle 'witchcraft' killings

It was a hyena that killed the boy, but four elderly women got the blame. Villagers slashed them with machetes, then set fire to their bodies for casting spells on the wild animal.

Scientists: Doomsday getting closer

Rising threats from climate change and nuclear arsenals prompted the scientists who maintain the Doomsday Clock, a symbolic countdown to global catastrophe, to move it two minutes closer to midnight on Thursday, its first shift in three years.

King Abdullah dies at age 90

State TV announces end of decadelong reign; brother Salman takes over as ruler