New monarch served as royal family's 'referee'

Saudi Arabia's new king, Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, is a veteran of the country's top leadership, versed in diplomacy from nearly 50 years as governor of the capital Riyadh and known as a mediator of disputes within the sprawling royal family.

Al-Saud dynasty gave its name to a nation

The Al-Saud dynasty, to which the late King Abdullah belonged, gave its name to the Gulf Arab monarchy of Saudi Arabia ruled by the sons of founder Abdul-Aziz bin Saud.

Leading anti-graft official arrested

An official of Indonesia's top corruption-fighting body was arrested on Friday, days after he said a national police chief hopeful was a graft suspect, sparking public demands for the country's president to defend the body.

Yingluck banned from Thai politics for 5 years

Thailand's military-appointed legislature on Friday voted to impeach former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra for her role in overseeing a government rice subsidy program that lost billions of dollars.

'Countdown' begins for IS killings

Warning posted online shows gruesome images as deadline to pay $200m ransom expires

Talks highlight 'profound differences'

The United States and Cuba fell short of setting dates to reopen embassies but agreed to meet again to overcome deep rifts after they wrapped up historic talks on Thursday aimed at normalizing relations.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Ex-protester becomes PM-in-waiting

Alexis Tsipras, who is tipped to be Greece's youngest prime minister since 1865, has come a long way from his early days as a Communist youth activist.

Superbug's role in deaths is unclear

A drug-resistant superbug infected 32 people at a Seattle hospital over a two-year period, with the bacteria spreading through contaminated medical scopes that had been cleaned to the manufacturer's recommendation, officials said on Thursday.

Power of the pen

Tu Xiangdong has mastery of several calligraphic forms

New lease on life for Capitol

Fidel Castro's rebels swept into Havana 56 years ago this month and went to work purging the US legacy from a capital that had been a virtual outpost of Washington.

Foie gras back on menu as California lifts ban

Californians will be able to legally eat foie gras again after a judge on Wednesday overturned a ban on sales of the delicacy that has been in force in the US state for the past two and a half years.