SENDAI  —   A consecration cer-emony was held on recently for a Buddha statue donated by Myan-mar for victims of the devastat-ing 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan.

Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will step down on January 18, party sources told AFP Saturday, following mounting criticism of his response to the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The announcement came as the main suspect in the 2017 car bomb killing, tycoon Yorgen Fenech, 38, was charged with complicity in the murder.

The European Union is getting a new set of top officials on Sunday at a time when the bloc faces increasing challenges.

A plane crash in the US state of South Dakota killed nine people, including two children, and injured three others on Saturday while a winter storm warning was in place, officials said.

US President Donald Trump has paid tribute to former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, who died on Friday.

Friday's fatal stabbing attack on London Bridge is having an impact on Britain's upcoming general election. Candidates are taking a break from campaigning and are calling for stricter security measures.