World
Latest stories
Seven Killed in French Alps Avalanche

Seven people were killed Tuesday when an avalanche swept them away in the French Alps, a local official told AFP, the deadliest snowslide to hit the popular mountain range this year.

"The toll has increased -- seven people have died," said the official, Pierre Besnard, who had earlier put the number of deaths at five, with two people missing.

W140 Full Story
State Agency: Top Turkey Media Group Probed for 'Terror Propaganda'

Turkish prosecutors have begun investigating a leading media group for "terrorist propaganda" over its coverage of the fighting between government forces and Kurdish militants, state-run Anatolia news agency reported on Tuesday.

The investigation into the Dogan Media Group, which owns the independent Hurriyet daily and CNN Turk channel among other outlets, was triggered by its contrasting treatment of images of Turkish soldiers and members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Anatolia said.

W140 Full Story
Muslim Extremists Free Abductees after Philippine Army Chase

A Muslim extremist group known for beheading some victims has released a group of kidnapped road workers following an intense police and military pursuit in the southern Philippines, an official said Tuesday.

The 11 hostages were seized by the Abu Sayyaf on Monday while on their way to work at a road project funded by the government on the remote island of Basilan.

W140 Full Story
Report: 22 Dead after Greece-bound Migrant Boat Sinks Off Turkey

At least 22 migrants trying to reach Greece by boat, including 11 women and four children, drowned Tuesday when their vessel sank off Turkey's southwest coast, local media reported.

Turkish coastguards recovered nine more bodies, bringing the toll to 22, and rescued 211 migrants from the wooden boat which set off from the southwestern resort town of Datca for the nearby Greek island of Kos, Dogan news agency reported. 

W140 Full Story
Thai Police Chief Links Uighurs to Bangkok Bomb

Thailand's police chief on Tuesday linked the Bangkok bomb to China's Uighur minority, the first time he has referenced the ethnic group after weeks of skirting around their possible involvement in the attack.

The August 17 bombing killed 20 people, the majority ethnic Chinese tourists, raising the possibility of a link to militants or supporters of the Uighurs, an ethnic group who say they face heavy persecution in China.

W140 Full Story
Hungary Seals Border to Migrants as Germany Slams 'Disgraceful' EU

Hungary sealed its border with Serbia on Tuesday to stem the massive influx of refugees as Germany slammed the "disgraceful" refusal of other EU countries to accept more migrants after 22 died in yet another shipwreck.

Budapest's move came after Austria and Slovakian authorities followed Germany's lead in reimposing border controls, a further body blow to Europe's cherished passport-free Schengen zone as the EU's border agency said more than half a million migrants had been counted at the bloc's borders so far this year.

W140 Full Story
N. Korea Confirms Reactor Restart after Hints of Missile Launch

North Korea Tuesday confirmed the restarting of a nuclear reactor seen as its main source of weapons-grade plutonium, raising the second red flag in 24 hours over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The confirmation, by the head of the North's Atomic Energy Institute (AEI), came hard on the heels of suggestions by the chief of the national space agency of a possible satellite rocket launch next month.

W140 Full Story
Flash Flood Death Toll Rises to Eight in U.S. State of Utah

Eight people were killed and five were listed as missing after flash floods struck a town in the western state of Utah overnight Monday, state officials said early Tuesday.

A wall of water hit people in their cars in Hildale, washing them downstream, the town's assistant fire chief, Kevin Barlow said, according to ABC News.

W140 Full Story
New Australia PM Pledges Dynamic Economy, End to Division

Multi-millionaire former banker Malcolm Turnbull was sworn in Tuesday as Australia's fourth prime minister in just over two years, promising to create a dynamic new economy and end the divisive approach of his predecessor.

Turnbull, unlike the ousted Tony Abbott, is a moderate on social issues who supports gay marriage and making Australia a republic -- positions at odds with some members of his conservative Liberal Party.

W140 Full Story
EU Fails to Reach Migrant Deal as Countries Impose Border Checks

EU ministers failed to reach agreement Monday on a quota plan to share the burden of a flood of refugees as Hungary closed the main migrant crossing with Serbia and other European countries imposed border checks.

With Europe's 20-year-old Schengen passport-free zone creaking under the pressure, Austria and Slovakia said they would follow economic powerhouse Germany's lead in reinstating frontier controls to deal with the flow of people.

W140 Full Story