Brussels / AFP Germany’s Martin Schulz said on Thursday he would step down as head of the European Parliament and return to national politics, where analysts say he could emerge as a rival to Angela Merkel. The outspoken former bookseller from Aachen will quit after four years in office, during which he became one of the European Union’s most high-profile …

  Sydney / AFP An unprecedented “thunderstorm asthma” event has left four people dead and three fighting for their lives in Australia, with authorities on Thursday scrambling to review their procedures after emergency services were overwhelmed. Some 8,500 people have presented to hospital emergency departments, mostly in Melbourne, since a thunderstorm coincided with a high pollen count on Monday, causing …

  Teknaf / AFP Horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder are emerging from among the thousands of desperate Rohingya migrants who have pushed into Bangladesh in the past few days to escape unfolding chaos in Myanmar. Up to 30,000 of the impoverished ethnic group have fled their homes, the United Nations says, after troops poured into the narrow strip …