Air strike in Afghanistan kills eight civilians: residents
An air strike in Afghanistan on Friday killed at least eight people – all believed to be civilians, residents said – following U.S. statements that there had been a breakthrough in peace talks.
Slovenian president pursues quest to find new prime minister
Slovenian President Borut Pahor will hold more talks with political parties on Feb. 24 and 25 to try to form a new government following the resignation of the center-left Prime Minister Marjan Sarec in January.
Algerians keep up protests a year after demonstrations began
Thousands of Algerians marched on Friday, a year since the start of weekly protests calling for a complete overhaul of the ruling elite, an end to corruption and the army’s withdrawal from politics.
China’s Beijing sets 14-day quarantine rule for arrivals: official daily
All people returning to the Chinese capital Beijing should quarantine themselves for 14 days to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the official Beijing Daily said on Friday.
Russian Jehovah’s Witness adherent was tortured in custody, says lawyer
Russian law enforcement officers in Siberia detained an adherent of the Jehovah’s Witnesses late one evening this week and drove him to a secluded area where they beat him violently and threatened him, his lawyer said on Friday.
Thai villagers turn to court in protest over Mekong dam in Laos
Villagers along the Mekong River have asked a court in Bangkok on Friday to slow down Thai purchases of electricity from a hydropower dam in Laos, which they say has harmed their livelihoods since it began operation last year.
Factbox: Latest on coronavirus spreading in China and beyond
Here are the latest developments around the coronavirus outbreak:
U.S. blacklists Sri Lankan army commander, cites killings, abuses
The United States has blacklisted Sri Lanka’s army chief, Shavendra Silva, for human rights violations including extrajudicial killings during the last phase of the country’s civil war in 2009, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday.
Syria tensions unlikely to shake Turkey’s Russian missile plans: U.S. official
Strains between Turkey and Russia over the escalating Syrian offensive in Idlib appear not to have shaken Turkish plans to deploy Russian missile defense systems, a senior U.S. official said on Friday, despite a threat of U.S sanctions.
Timeline: Algeria’s year of protest and turmoil
Mass protests over the past year in Algeria have brought down a veteran president and caused the biggest political crisis since the end of a 1990s civil war that killed 200,000 people.
