International

HAVANA (Xinhua) — Peking Opera performances at the National Theatre of Cuba in Havana on Jan. 10-11 are part of the celebrations this year marking 60 years of diplomatic ties between China and Cuba, local organizers said on Wednesday.

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) — A man admitted during court proceedings on Wednesday to killing 19 residents and injuring dozens more in a knife rampage at a care home for mentally disabled people near Tokyo in 2016, but his defense said that he could not be held criminally responsible for his actions.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A year ago, Taiwan’s leader was on the ropes. Then she got a boost from an unexpected corner: Chinese President Xi Jinping.

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, say they plan “to step back” as senior members of Britain’s royal family, a stunning announcement that underscores the couple’s wish to forge a new path for royals in the modern world.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Iran stepped back from the brink of possible war on Wednesday as President Donald Trump signaled he would not retaliate militarily for Iran’s missile strikes on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. No one was harmed in the strikes, but U.S. forces in the region remained on high alert.

TOKYO (Kyodo) — The Japanese government, prosecutors and Nissan Motor Co. officials largely shrugged off Thursday claims made by the automaker's former chairman Carlos Ghosn at his first press conference after fleeing Japan, saying he failed to clear his name.

DAYTON, the United States (Xinhua) — A Chinese company's cafeteria in the United States started to offer free lunch to its employees this week.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernie Sanders says he doesn’t want a super PAC. Instead, he has Our Revolution, a nonprofit political organization he founded that functions much the same as one.

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Two warring yakuza groups will face stronger crackdowns after public safety commissions in six Japanese prefectures designated them Tuesday as "crime syndicates at war" in an effort to weaken them and stop their escalating battles.

SHAHEDSHAHR, Iran (AP) — A Ukrainian airplane carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday shortly after takeoff from Tehran’s main airport, killing all onboard, Iranian state TV and officials in Ukraine said.