Reuters

Women's Rights Face Daunting New Year Worldwide, Activists Warn

Fights expected to keep health clinics open, to save programs preventing unwanted pregnancies and to enforce laws protecting women from violence

Chilean Leftist Presidential Hopeful Snatches Lead in Key Poll

Until recently, Alejandro Guillier was unknown in Chile and most believed runoff would be between Sebastian Pinera and ex-president Ricardo Lagos

Floods in Southwest Congo Kill at Least 50

Torrential rain left 10,000 people homeless, according to authorities

US Calls Pakistan Student Group Wing of Banned Militant Organization

Group accused of orchestrating numerous attacks, including 2008 assault in Mumbai that killed 166 people, six of them Americans

Nigerian Army: Boko Haram May Have Used Chibok Girls as Shields During Attack

Aerial footage of militants fleeing attack in the Sambisa forest shows Boko Haram fighters moving with women and children

Romanian Social Democrats Propose Leftist Veteran for PM

Winners of general election two weeks ago nominate former telecommunications minister Sorin Grindeanu

Spain Arrests 2 Men Suspected of Islamist Militant Propaganda

Greece Vows to Improve Conditions in Overcrowded Migrant Camps

About 15,000 are in overcrowded island camps that have grown violent as slow processing of asylum requests adds to frustration over living conditions

Russia's Sukhoi Says Superjet Defects Will Be Repaired by End of January

Sukhoi says it has completed its fleet inspection and aircraft that passed its checks have resumed flying

Madrid to Cut Traffic Volumes in Half as Pollution Rises

The move follows a dry, sunny stretch of weather which sent levels of nitrogen oxide, a poisonous gas which can cause respiratory problems such as asthma, soaring above European-Union-set limits

Britain Cracks Down on Illegal Nail-salon Workers

British immigration officers have raided nearly 300 nail salons and arrested 97 people, mostly from Vietnam, for suspected immigration offenses as part of a drive to tackle modern slavery

FIFA Boss Says Football Federations Back Expanded World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants to increase the number of teams playing in the World Cup final tournament to 48

Rise in Baby Trafficking in India Cuts Adoption Numbers, Fuels Trade

Dozens of Boko Haram Fighters Surrender in Southern Niger

Fighters give themselves up days after the Islamist group suffered key losses over the border in Nigeria

Number of Migrants who Left Germany Voluntarily Rises Sharply in 2016

Around 55,000 migrants who were not eligible for or were refused asylum left Germany voluntarily between January and November 2016

Taiwan Says Chinese Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Hainan

China gives few details of what Soviet-built Liaoning is up to, except that it is on routine exercise

Montana Lawmakers Denounce Plans for Neo-Nazi Rally

The lawmakers include both Democrats and US Representative Ryan Zinke, recently picked by Republican President-elect Donald Trump to be interior secretary

Pakistan Spurns Call to Do Away With 5,000-rupee Note

Objective was to reduce illicit money flow, size of undocumented economy, but finance ministry says demonetization world hurt business

South Korea Ruling Party Split Could Provide Opening for UN Chief Ban

Ban Ki-Moon has not declared an intention to run for president, only saying he would devote himself to South Korea after his UN tenure ends

Tourism Surge Puts Pressure on Thai Infrastructure

Economist says that bottlenecks are building up in sites like Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Phuket and that new destinations must be introduced