Jakarta / AFP The Indonesian capital’s Christian governor faced a marathon police grilling on Monday for allegedly insulting Islam, after the accusations sparked a violent mass protest by hardliners in the Muslim-majority country. Friday’s demonstration started peacefully but descended into chaos as night fell with protesters torching police cars and hurling rocks and bottles in the heart of Jakarta, ...

  MONT PELERIN / AFP A deal to unify Cyprus is within reach, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said on Monday as he opened talks aimed at resolving one of the world’s longest running political crises. The Mediterranean resort island has been split since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece. ...

  Muzaffarabad / AFP Pakistan accused India of killing three people including a policeman and wounding four others in cross-border firing on Monday, at a time of heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals. The incidents occurred near the border dividing Indian-held Kashmir from the Pakistani sector of the territory. “A policeman, a man and a woman were killed when Indian ...

  Hong Kong /AFP Hong Kong’s leader said on Monday he would “fully implement” a landmark ruling by Beijing which effectively bars two pro-independence lawmakers from the city’s legislature, in a crisis that heightens fears the rule of law is under threat. It is the latest chapter of political turmoil for the semi-autonomous city as fears grow that China is ...

  Berlin/ AFP German prosecutors said on Monday they have launched a probe after receiving a complaint alleging that top Facebook bosses including founder Mark Zuckerberg are condoning hate speech, as pressure grows on the social network to clamp down on racist content. The probe comes as top politicians are ratcheting up warnings against the US group, with the German ...

  Whoever wins Tuesday’s presidential election will face an assertive, aggrieved Russia whose risk-taking behavior under President Vladimir Putin is increasingly worrisome to American experts. Today’s pushy, headstrong Russia presents a paradox: By most measures, it’s a country in decline, with a sagging economy, an underdeveloped technology base and a shrinking population. Corruption pervades nearly every sector. The collapse of ...

  As Americans prepare to go to the polls after one of the most bizarre election campaigns, here are the main things that investors should keep in mind. Although the presidential race tightened in the last 10 days, many prognosticators and betting sites still predict that Hillary Clinton will win. If her victory is combined with down-ballot results that prolong ...

  If it’s upheld on appeal, last Thursday’s ruling on Brexit from the U.K. High Court gives members of parliament a responsibility some might prefer to shirk — namely, to offer the voters they represent their best judgment on Britain’s future in Europe. When the time comes, they need to stand up and do what they’re paid for. The judges ...

Even as the 12-day UN meeting in Marrakesh that has been tasked with finishing the rulebook for the Paris Agreement got underway on Monday, all eyes are on the crucial US presidential elections. The fate of the climate talks largely hinges on the US polls. Climate negotiators are rooting for Republican Donald Trump’s defeat. His win could throw cold water ...

  Back in 2008, incoming President Barack Obama inherited a U.S. financial crisis that was to some degree made in China. The next U.S. president may well confront a Chinese financial crunch with its origins in the U.S., as China unwinds the credit imbalances built up over the last eight years to defend against that global slump. China’s Debt Bomb ...