Brussels / AFP NATO launched on Thursday an unprecedented naval mission in the Aegean Sea to tackle people smugglers taking migrants and refugees from the Turkish coast, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday. The move follows a request this week by alliance members Germany, Greece and Turkey for assistance in tackling Europe’s biggest migrant crisis since World War II. ...

Bangkok / AFP Thailand’s pro-democracy “Red Shirt” movement will vote against a new junta-scripted charter in a looming referendum, their leader said on Thursday, a move that could deepen the country’s political impasse. The political play comes a day after the military, which seized power two years ago from a civilian government, said it will hold a plebiscite on their ...

Sydney / AFP Australia said on Thursday it will “carefully consider” if it can help the orphans of an IS extremist and their Sydney-born mother, who both reportedly died in Syria, warning the children could pose a threat later in life. Tara Nettleton, whose husband KhaledSharrouf made headlines in 2014 when he posted an image on Twitter of his then ...