Voters in Switzerland go to the polls on Sunday to decide on a proposal to make discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sexual identity punishable by law. Discrimination because of race or religion is already illegal in the country. Now members of Switzerland's

A soldier who killed 26 people in a gun rampage in the Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima has been shot dead by the security forces, Thai police say. Jakraphanth Thomma on Saturday killed his commanding officer before stealing weapons from a military camp. The suspect continued his

The death toll in mainland China from the coronavirus surged to 811, the National Health Commission said on Sunday, as a Japanese and an American became the first foreigners to die of the illness in China. The commission reported 89 deaths nationwide up to midnight on Saturday with 81

At least 12 people have been killed and ‘many’ have been injured after a soldier went on a shooting rampage in a shopping centre in Thailand. The gunman, who is still at large, opened fire at a shopping mall on Saturday in the city of Korat, north-east of Bangkok. The alleged

Kenyans are queuing up to view the body of the country's longest-serving president, Daniel arap Moi, as it lies in state in the capital, Nairobi. Mr Moi, who led the country from 1978 to 2002, died on Tuesday at 95. Speaking before the body was taken through Nairobi, President

Hong Kong has begun a mandatory two-week quarantine for anyone arriving from mainland China, in a fresh effort to contain the deadly new coronavirus. Visitors must isolate themselves in hotel rooms or government-run centres. Residents must stay inside their homes. Anyone caught

US President Donald Trump has dismissed two senior officials who testified against him at his impeachment trial. The US envoy to the EU, Gordon Sondland, said he "was advised today that the president intends to recall me effective immediately". Just hours earlier, Lt Col Alexander

The number of deaths from China's coronavirus outbreak has risen to 722 on Saturday, surpassing the death toll from the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak on the mainland and Hong Kong almost two decades ago.  The total number of infections across China has now

Another 41 people on a cruise ship off the coast of Japan have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases on board to 61. Some 3,700 people are on board the Diamond Princess, which is quarantined in Yokohama for at least two weeks. The checks began

The United States has killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), President Donald Trump said. Qasim al-Raymi, who has led the jihadist group since 2015, was killed in a US operation in Yemen, the White House said. The jihadist leader had been linked to a series

A Chinese doctor who tried to issue the first warning about the deadly coronavirus outbreak has died, the hospital treating him has said. Li Wenliang contracted the virus while working at Wuhan Central Hospital. He had sent out a warning to fellow medics on 30 December but police

Torrential rain across the east coast of Australia has extinguished a third of the fires in the region - and could put more out, officials say. A wide band of rain sweeping New South Wales (NSW) has put out 20 of about 60 fires in the state in the past day. Authorities have welcomed

Two people have been killed after a high-speed train derailed near the northern Italian city of Lodi, emergency services say. Both of the dead are thought to be drivers. At least one person, a cleaner on the train, had significant but not life-threatening injuries. The train was

A Chinese newborn has been diagnosed with the new coronavirus just 30 hours after birth, the youngest case recorded so far, state media said. The baby was born on 2 February in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus. The baby's mother tested positive before she gave birth. It is

A passenger plane landing at an airport in Istanbul has skidded off the runway and broken into three parts, killing three people and injuring more than 170, officials say. The Pegasus Airlines jet was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members from Izmir province in the west when it

Daily deaths caused by the new coronavirus have reached another record in China, with 73 fatalities confirmed in figures released by health authorities on Thursday morning, taking the death toll in mainland China to 563. The number of new infections in mainland China and Hubei province

President Donald Trump has been cleared in his impeachment trial, ending a congressional bid to oust him from office that bitterly divided the US. The Senate, run by the president's fellow Republicans, voted to acquit him 52-48 on charges of abuse of power and 53-47 on obstruction

President Donald Trump has hailed the "great American comeback" in a speech to Congress on the eve of his expected acquittal in his impeachment trial. At his annual State of the Union address, Mr Trump set out a case for another four years in office. The president refrained from

President Donald Trump ignored -- or didn't see -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's attempt to shake his hand before Tuesday's State of the Union address in an apparent snub that comes more than a month after House Democrats impeached Trump. Immediately after Trump finished his

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in China rose to 490 as of Tuesday, after Hubei, the province where the virus is thought to have originated, reported 65 people had died from the flu-like infection. China's National Health Commission said on Wednesday the number of