ANKARA; 31 Jan 2019; AA: Istanbul police Thursday seized some 1,350 kilogram (2,976 pounds) of illegal drugs including heroin and skunk weed in separate operations across the city, governor said.

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said on Twitter that at least five people were arrested during the large-scale bust.

31 Jan 2019; DW: Investment in the British car industry dropped 46.5 percent last year to 589 million British pounds (€673 million/$769 million), said the Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT).

Since the Brexit referendum in 2016, business groups have pressured the government to soften the economic impact of departing the European Union, citing a major downturn in investment. Thursday's figures are the lowest ever since SMMT began compiling the data.

What the report said:

31 Jan 2019; AP: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul was awarded more than $580,000 in damages and medical expenses on Wednesday in his lawsuit against the neighbor who tackled him and broke several of his ribs in a dispute over lawn maintenance.

A jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, deliberated less than two hours before delivering the award to the Republican lawmaker who had been attacked while doing yard work at his Kentucky home.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States kicked off here on Wednesday morning a new round of high-level talks to address their differences on outstanding economic and trade issues.

The talks, scheduled for two days, mark a significant step in the implementation of the important consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump during a working dinner in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 1.

BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The rover and the lander of the Chang'e-4 probe have been awakened by sunlight after a long "sleep" during the first extremely cold night on the moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Thursday.

The lander woke up at 8:39 p.m. Wednesday, and the rover, Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2), awoke at about 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, surviving their first lunar night after making the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon, said CNSA.

31 Jan 2019; AA: Seven reporters have been arrested in Venezuela following demonstrations in the capital Caracas, local media reports said on Thursday.

According to Spanish national news agency EFE, a Colombian photojournalist of the agency, who went to cover the events across the country, disappeared on Wednesday morning in Caracas.

The agency said he had been arrested by Venezuelan authorities along with his two colleagues -- one Spanish and one Colombian.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — At St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubai, an effort to transcribe the Bible in the native tongue of its flock saw the holy book presented in 52 languages — a sign of the cosmopolitan welcome awaiting Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to the United Arab Emirates.

The diversity among its parishioners can be seen in its pews and heard in the sermons of St. Mary’s priests, who celebrate Mass and offer prayers in Arabic, English, French, Tagalog, Tamil, Urdu and other languages.

31 Jan 2019; DW: Malaysia crowned Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah of central Pahang state as the country's 16th king on Thursday, following the surprise resignation of Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan on January 6.

The Royal Palace has not said why the previous king abdicated the throne, but online reports and images of Sultan Muhammad's alleged marriage to a former Russian beauty queen appeared in December. The reports have remained unconfirmed by the Palace.

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — An activist says more than 5,000 garment workers demanding wage hikes have been laid off while hundreds of them are facing police charges in the world’s second-largest garment export industry.

Kalpona Akter of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity said Thursday the firings came after thousands of workers took to the streets earlier this month in and around Dhaka, the nation’s capital.

One worker was killed and more than 50 were injured in clashes.

31 Jan 2019; AFP: The Italian economy contracted in the fourth quarter of 2018, plunging the country into a technical recession, official data showed Thursday.

The 0.2 percent contraction -- following a 0.1 percent fall in the third quarter -- will put pressure on the populist government in the eurozone's third largest economy, which took power in June on the back of big-spending electoral promises.

31 Jan 2019; IRNA: The unmanned jet, showcased in the Eqtedar 40 Exhibition, is named ‘Khodkar’ (automatic) and is the pilotless version of T-33 training aircraft suitable for conducting reconnaissance and combat operations.

The drone has been equipped with two cameras, one on the front of the fuselage for cockpit view, and one beneath the fuselage for landing and takeoff.

Iran's the Eqtedar (authority) 40 Exhibition opened in southwestern Tehran on Thursday.

BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- China's Chang'e-4 probe, having made the first-ever soft landing on moon's far side, found that the temperature of the lunar surface dropped to as low as minus 190 degrees centigrade, colder than expected.

This is the first time Chinese scientists have received first-hand data about the temperatures on the surface of the far side of the moon during the lunar night.