High Rise Building Collapses in Russia, at Least Two Dead: Reports

Rescue services in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk scrambled to find survivors after a suspected gas blast in the early hours of Monday caused the partial collapse of a high rise apartment building, killing at least two people, news agencies reported.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2SrH5hF

Hello. Does Poland Have Vampires? My Date Wants to Know My Blood Type.

The British Foreign Office released a list of the oddest phone calls it received this year from Britons abroad.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2GKcme8

Congo Votes, Amid Ebola Crisis and Problems at Polls, After Years’ Delay

The long-delayed vote to replace Congo’s leader of 18 years, Joseph Kabila, was marred by torrential rains, lost voter rolls and malfunctioning machines.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2EWXLcW

Romania, Fighting the E.U., Prepares to Lead It at ‘Crucial Moment’

The government has turned to Euroskeptic rhetoric to defend its stance on anticorruption legislation, even as it is scheduled to take its turn in the presidency of the bloc as Brexit looms.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2SzRszO

Colombia Investigates a Possible Plot to Assassinate President, Official Says

Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes offered few details in a video address Saturday night, but said several Venezuelans had been arrested recently with assault weapons.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2EUm5w0

Year-End Storm in the Philippines Kills More Than 60

Officials said the storm known as Usman, which struck the region of Bicol on Saturday, had left at least 61 dead, while 18 others were missing.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2SvWttm

Philippine President Says He Sexually Abused Housemaid as a Teenager

A spokesman for President Rodgrigo Duterte said later that the remarks were intended as a joke to expose the hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic Church.

from NYT > World https://nyti.ms/2GLaouk