Kazakhstan says delegations of Syrian government, rebels invited to Astana meetings
ALMATY (Reuters) – Delegations from the Syrian government and rebels along with U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura have been invited to attend meetings on the Syria crisis in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana on February 15-16, the Kazakh Foreign Ministr…
Suicide bomber kills seven, wounds 20 in Afghan provincial capital: official
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) – A suicide bomber killed seven people and wounded 20 others outside a bank in the capital city of Afghanistan’s Helmand province on Saturday, the governor’s office said on Saturday.
India’s PM Modi faces election test as voting begins in Uttar Pradesh
KAIRANA, India (Reuters) – More than 13 million Indians voted in the first stage of state assembly elections on Saturday, the biggest electoral test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi since coming to power in 2014.
Iran allowing Syria-bound Russian planes to use airspace-report
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran has again allowed Russian planes to use its airspace during recent operations in Syria, a senior Iranian security official was quoted as saying on Saturday.
Turkey to hold referendum on presidency on April 16: election board
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey will hold a referendum on April 16 on proposed changes to the constitution that would replace its parliamentary system with the executive presidency sought by Tayyip Erdogan, the head of the High Election Board announced on Sa…
Iraq says will stay clear of U.S.-Iran tensions
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq won’t take part in any regional or international conflicts, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told state TV on Saturday.
Missing China billionaire taken from Hong Kong hotel in wheelchair: source
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Missing China-born billionaire Xiao Jianhua was whisked in a wheelchair from a luxury Hong Kong hotel in the early hours of Jan 27 with his head covered, a source close to the businessman told Reuters.
Earthquake in southern Philippines kills four, damages infrastructure
MANILA (Reuters) – Four people died and more than 100 were injured after a powerful earthquake struck the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines late Friday, damaging some structures and cutting power in many areas, local officials said.
China expels 32 South Korea missionaries amid missile defense tension
SEOUL (Reuters) – China has expelled 32 South Korean Christian missionaries, a Korean government official said on Saturday, amid diplomatic tension between the two countries over the planned deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in the South.
UK to close Iraq war abuse unit, citing false claims
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s government has said it will shut down a unit investigating claims of torture and unlawful killing by British soldiers in Iraq after a law firm representing alleged victims was found to have made false claims.
