Cinema makes return to Saudi Arabia

Agence France-Presse
Apr 21 05:07 AM | Updated Apr 21 05:08 AM

Saudi Arabia hosted its first public film screening in over 35 years on Friday, two days after US movie giant AMC unveiled the kingdom's debut theatre in Riyadh.   Read more »

Filipino students to work in Japan hotel, nursing care industries

ABS-CBN News
Apr 20 10:05 PM

The five participating schools are Mapua University, University of the East, Jose Rizal University, the Philippine Women's University, and Lyceum of the Philippines University. Read more »

Boat carrying 76 Rohingya lands in Indonesia

Reuters
Apr 20 07:25 PM

The group, which included eight children and 25 women, suffered from varying degrees of fatigue and dehydration, authorities said. Read more »

Saudi Arabia set for first public film screening at cinema

Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 07:15 PM

A multiplex theater at Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District will for now operate one screen with a seating capacity of around 250. Read more »

North and South Korea open hotline between leaders

Jung Hawon, Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 05:57 PM

The two Koreas opened a hotline between their leaders Friday, a week before a summit between North Korea's Kim Jong Un and the South's President Moon Jae-in in the Demilitarized Zone. Read more »

Amorous couples, sex workers publicly whipped in Indonesia's Aceh

Agence France-Press
Apr 20 04:03 PM | Updated Apr 20 05:25 PM

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - A group of amorous couples and alleged sex workers were publicly whipped for breaking Islamic law in Indonesia's Aceh Friday, just a week after the province pledged to move the widely condemned practice indoors. Read more »

Lockheed Martin to propose stealthy hybrid of F-22 and F-35 for Japan - sources

Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo, Reuters
Apr 20 03:59 PM

TOKYO - U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp plans to offer Japan a stealth fighter design based on its export-banned F-22 Raptor and advanced F-35 Lightning II aircraft, two sources said. Read more »

Indonesia demands more answers from Facebook on data misuse

Cindy Silviana, Reuters
Apr 20 03:11 PM

JAKARTA - Indonesia has given Facebook a week to provide more information on how personal data of about one million of its citizens was misused and on the steps the company is taking to prevent such breaches, the country's communications ministry said. Read more »

Ex-US soldier, 2 others convicted of murder-for-hire plot in Philippines

ABS-CBN News
Apr 20 02:48 PM

A former US Army sergeant and two other US citizens were found guilty by a jury in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday of taking part in a plot to murder a woman in the Philippines for money, prosecutors said.    Read more »

Kathmandu airport closed after jet skids off runway

Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 01:20 PM

KATHMANDU, Nepal - Kathmandu airport was closed Friday after a Malaysian jet with 139 people on board aborted its takeoff and skidded off the runway, officials said. Read more »

Comey memos show president Trump obsessed with Russia probe

Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 01:11 PM

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump repeatedly complained to FBI director James Comey in early 2017 that the Russia meddling investigation was a cloud over his young administration, weeks before firing him, leaked memorandums showed Thursday. Read more »

In wealthy Germany, growing up poor is a dead-end street

Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 12:45 PM

BERLIN - Chancellor Angela Merkel touted Germany as a country "in which we live well and happily" during her re-election campaign. But those words ring hollow to the one in five children living in poverty in Europe's top economy, with little prospect of climbing the social ladder. Read more »

Philippines decries European Parliament's 'interference'

Reuters
Apr 20 10:02 AM

MANILA - The Philippines decried what it said was interference in its internal affairs by the European Parliament, which urged the Southeast Asian nation in a resolution to end "extrajudicial killings" and abandon plans to reintroduce death penalty. Read more »

China challenged Australian warships in South China Sea-Australian media

Reuters
Apr 20 08:54 AM

MELBOURNE - Australian warships were challenged by the Chinese military in the disputed South China Sea earlier this month, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported on Friday, citing Australian defense officials. Read more »

Muslim woman who refused handshake denied French citizenship

Agence France-Presse
Apr 20 08:33 AM

France's highest administrative court has upheld a decision to deny a French passport to an Algerian Muslim who refused to shake hands with officials during her citizenship ceremony, according to a ruling seen by AFP Thursday. Read more »