December 23, 2016 Snatched in the night, Pakistani girl is enslaved for a debt The mother rummages through a large metal trunk, searching for a picture of her young daughter taken away in the night to be the bride of a man who says the family owed him $1,000.
December 23, 2016 Afghan kills 5 fellow state-backed militiamen An Afghan official says a member of a state-backed militia has shot and killed five fellow militiamen in the latest insider attack among the country's embattled security forces.
December 23, 2016 China 'closely following' Trump comments on nuclear policy China says countries with the largest nuclear arsenals should take the lead in disarmament, after President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin said they wanted to strengthen their nations' nuclear capabilities.
December 23, 2016 North Korean defector impressed by Seoul political protests A high-profile North Korean defector has told South Korean lawmakers the massive protests that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye still feels strange to him but he sees the demonstrations as the country's strength.
December 23, 2016 A Pakistani girl is snatched away, payment for a family debt The girl called Jeevti was just 14 when she taken from her family in the night to be married off to a man who says her family owed him $1,000.
December 23, 2016 Philippines warned of rainy Christmas from tropical storm A tropical storm nearing the Philippines on Friday may strengthen into a typhoon, bringing moderate to heavy rains and blustery weather on Christmas Day, the biggest holiday in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.
December 23, 2016 North Korea ridicules UN chief's presidential ambitions North Korea on Friday mocked outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon over his apparent ambitions to run for South Korean president, calling him an opportunistic "chameleon in a human mask" who's dreaming a "hollow dream." The North's state-run Uriminzokkiri website said Ban's alleged presidential ambitions were absurd because the way he handled his job as U.N.
December 23, 2016 China reports at least 7 bird flu cases so far this month China has reported at least seven cases of bird flu across China this month, including two deaths, as authorities sought to guard against an outbreak.
December 23, 2016 China appeals to EU to drop measures against solar imports China is appealing to the European Union to drop anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese solar panels after the trade bloc's executive body recommended extending them for two years.
December 23, 2016 Japan Emperor turns 83, thanks public over abdication wish Japan's Emperor Akihito has marked his 83rd birthday, thanking the people for their concern and effort to accommodate his apparent abdication wish.
