French police fire tear gas as protesters swarm Paris

A protester wearing a yellow vest stands next to burning trash bins in a street during clashes with police at a national day of protest by the “yellow vests” movement in Paris, France, on Saturday. French riot police fired tear gas and water cannons in Paris on Saturday, trying to stop thousands of protesters from converging on the presidential palace to express their anger at high taxes and French President Emmanuel Macron.SD-Agencies Ex-Nissan chief Ghosn charged

Japanese prosecutors formally charged Carlos Ghosn with financial misconduct for under-reporting his salary and also served a fresh warrant* on separate allegations, local media reported on Monday, meaning the tycoon will likely spend Christmas in a cell.

Former Nissan chairman Ghosn, 64, has been in detention since his November 19 arrest on suspicion of under-declaring his income by some 5 billion yen (US$44 million) between 2010 and 2015.

Authorities then re-arrested him on Monday over separate allegations that he also under-reported his income by a further 4 billion yen over the past three years.

Saudi Arabia hosts summit amid tensions

The Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) annual summit opened in Riyadh on Sunday, with regional unity imperiled* by a bitter row between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which is mired* in a diplomatic crisis over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-GCC member Egypt cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar in 2017.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister rejected demands on Sunday to extradite* suspects connected to the murder of Khashoggi as sought by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Trump picks Milley as next top military adviser

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he’s picked a battle-hardened commander who oversaw troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to be the nation’s next top military adviser.

If confirmed by the Senate, Gen. Mark Milley, who has been chief of the Army since August 2015, would succeed Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Dunford’s term doesn’t end until October 1. Trump said the date of transition is “to be determined.”

Concert stampede in Italy leaves 6 dead, over 50 hurt

Teenagers panicked before a rap concert at a jammed Italian disco, setting off a stampede* that killed five of them and a mother who had brought her daughter to the event, authorities and survivors said on Saturday.

Fifty-three people were reported injured, including 13 in very serious condition. Several survivors said panic spread through the late-night crowd after someone unleashed an irritant* spray.

EU court: UK can change mind over Brexit

The European Union’s top court ruled on Monday that Britain can change its mind over Brexit, boosting the hopes of people who want to stay in the EU that the process can be reversed.

The European Court of Justice ruled that when an EU member country has notified its intent to leave, “that member state is free to revoke unilaterally that notification.” Britain voted in 2016 to leave the 28-nation bloc, and invoked Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty in March 2017.(SD-Agencies)