Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker ends Mohammad cartoon contest within hours
Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders said on Sunday he had ended a contest for cartoons caricaturing the Prophet Mohammad, only hours after announcing the contentious event.
Ukraine starts all-for-all prisoner swap with pro-Russian separatists
Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine started a full prisoner swap on Sunday, driving all remaining detainees in the five-year conflict to a handover point and starting to unload them.
Greece proposes World Court if maritime dialogue with Turkey fails
Greece’s Prime Minister said in remarks published on Sunday that if Athens and Ankara cannot solve their dispute about maritime zones in the Mediterranean they should turn to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to settle the disagreem…
Fifty dead as cold wave sweeps through Bangladesh
At least 50 people have died in Bangladesh as cold weather continues to sweep across the country, officials said.
Residents, vacationers urged to leave Australian region as fire conditions worsen
Residents and vacationers in part of the Australian state of Victoria were urged to leave on Sunday ahead of what is expected to be a day of extreme fire danger.
Ukraine begins all-for-all prisoner swap with separatists
Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have started an all-for-all prisoner swap, after which all remaining prisoners of the five-year conflict should return home, the office of Ukraine’s president said on Sunday.
More than 1,000 gather for rain-soaked Hong Kong rally
More than 1,000 people rallied in the rain in a park in Hong Kong’s financial district on Sunday, chanting slogans for democracy as they huddled under a sea of umbrellas.
Blast hits military parade in Yemen, at least five dead
A missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group struck a military parade in Yemen’s southern separatist-held town of al-Dhalea, killing at least five people and injuring others, Yemen’s Security Belt forces said on Sunday.
Turkey to evacuate wounded after deadly Mogadishu blast
A Turkish military cargo plane landed in the Somali capital on Sunday to evacuate people badly wounded in a devastating truck bombing in the city a day earlier that killed at least 90 people including two Turkish nationals.
Taiwan president channels HK protests in appeal for votes: ‘Don’t believe the Communists’
Citing a letter from a young Hong Konger appealing for people “not to believe the Communists”, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Sunday the island’s democratic way of life was at risk from the danger China posed to Taiwan.
