Officials in one Indonesian city have hatched a plan to wean children off smartphones – by giving them their own fluffy chicks to raise. Around 2,000 four-day-old chicks will be handed out to pupils at elementary and junior high schools in Bandung in the coming weeks in an attempt to

Burglars have stolen three diamond jewellery sets from one of Europe's largest treasure collections - the Dresden Green Vault in eastern Germany. The sets consist of 37 parts each, and the thieves may try to break them up. Dresden police and museum officials say they are still

Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases once again reached new highs in 2018. The  World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the increase in CO2 was just above the average rise recorded over the last decade. Levels of other warming gases, such as

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says allegations of a plot to plant a Chinese spy in Canberra's parliament are "deeply disturbing". The allegations - first aired by local network Nine - assert that a suspected Chinese espionage ring approached a Chinese-Australian man to

Billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has officially announced he is standing to be the Democratic Party presidential nominee. In a statement, the 77-year-old said he was standing "to defeat Donald Trump and rebuild America". "The stakes could not be higher. We must

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper has fired Navy chief Richard Spencer over his handling of the case of a Navy Seal demoted for misconduct. The case of Edward Gallagher, who was convicted for posing with a corpse, had sparked tensions between President Donald Trump and military

Pro-democracy candidates buoyed by months of street protests in Hong Kong won a stunning victory in local elections on Sunday, as record numbers voted in a vivid expression of the city’s aspirations and its anger with the Chinese government. It was a pointed rebuke of Beijing and its

At least 24 people have died after a passenger plane crashed into houses in Goma city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials say. Residents on the ground, including four family members, were among the victims. The small aircraft went down in the Mapendo

Colombia's President Iván Duque has said security forces will remain on the streets to maintain order, as protests continued for a third day. The anti-government demonstrations erupted on Thursday, when more than 250,000 marched in a national strike. They started peacefully but

At least 29 people have died in landslides caused by severe weather in West Pokot county, Kenya. The landslides, affecting the villages of Nyarkulian and Parua, were reportedly caused by heavy rains. Officials say the villages have been cut off by flooded roads and at least one

There has been high early turnout as voters surged to the polls for Hong Kong's district council elections. Pro-democracy protest groups hope the vote will send a message to the Chinese government after five months of unrest. Long queues formed outside polling stations amid

At least 24 people are reported to have died in landslides caused by severe weather in West Pokot county, Kenya. Officials told local media that the bodies of at least 12 people, including seven children, were recovered on Saturday. The landslides, affecting the villages of

South Korea says it is to continue a military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan that had been threatened by a long-running dispute. The move was welcomed by the US which had urged the two countries to settle their differences. Seoul announced its decision on Friday, just hours

Twelve people were killed and 10 others injured when the minibus they were travelling in overturned in a bid to save a bull in Nagaur district of Rajasthan on Saturday. The accident occurred early in the morning, police said, adding that the victims were on their way to Hisar in

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to press on with the development of a nuclear-powered rocket believed to have been at the centre of a deadly accident. Five engineers and two others died when a rocket engine exploded at a test range on the White Sea on 8 August. Defence

A man who strangled a British backpacker and hid her body inside a suitcase has been found guilty of murder. Grace Millane was found buried in bushland outside Auckland, New Zealand. A jury at the city's high court rejected claims by the 27-year-old man, who cannot be named,

US President Donald Trump disregarded senior advisers and pushed a false theory that Ukraine had meddled in the 2016 election, an ex-White House aide has told the impeachment inquiry. Fiona Hill said the president had instead listened to the views of his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

In a major shift in policy, Bhutan plans to levy charges on tourists from regional countries, including India, Bangladesh and Maldives, who at present are exempted from any charges. The new draft tourism policy, which is likely to be finalised by the Bhutanese Cabinet next month, was

Smoke from Australia's bushfire crisis has blanketed the major cities of Sydney and Adelaide. In Sydney, locals woke on Thursday to smoke that appeared worse than a fire-driven haze that was seen on Tuesday. Health officials issued warnings as air quality surpassed "hazardous"

A top US diplomat has told an impeachment inquiry that he followed President Donald Trump's orders to put pressure on Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rival, Joe Biden. The instruction came from Mr Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, Ambassador Gordon Sondland said.