AFP, NEW YORK:  Connecticut’s top court reinstated Friday the murder conviction of a nephew of the slain Robert F. Kennedy over the beating death of a 15-year-old girl more than four decades ago. In a 4-3 decision, a divided Connecticut Supreme Court ordered a lower court to reject an appeal…

AFP, BAGHDAD: Twin blasts ripped through a busy market area in central Baghdad Saturday, police said, shattering a relative lull in attacks in the capital and marring preparations for New Year celebrations. Two suicide bombers attacked the Al-Sinek area, killing at least 27 people and wounding 53, a…

AFP, BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Germans Saturday to hold firm to democratic values in the face of jihadist terror, urging them to counter “murderers who are full of hate” with compassion and cohesion. In her New Year’s address delivered less than two weeks after a Tunisian…

AFP, TAIPEI: Taiwan will not bend to pressure despite China returning to its “old ways” of intimidation, President Tsai Ing-wen said Saturday, following Beijing’s protests over her call to US President-elect Donald Trump. China has stepped up military drills near Taiwan since the call…

AFP, WASHINGTON: A code connected to Russian hacking efforts has been discovered in a utility system in Vermont, which could point to vulnerabilities in the US electrical grid, The Washington Post reported Friday. The code detected in the northeastern state’s system did not disrupt its operations,…

AFP, WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said Friday it believes that Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is indeed alive, despite repeated efforts by the US-led coalition to take out the jihadist group leader. Baghdadi has kept a low profile, despite having declared himself the leader of a renewed Muslim…