Lebanon deploys security forces in Beirut before parliamentary session
A heavy deployment of Lebanese security forces fanned out in central Beirut on Tuesday, ahead of a parliamentary session protesters have vowed to prevent as they demonstrate against the ruling elite.
Queues build at Lebanese banks reopening after one-week closure
Queues built as Lebanese banks reopened on Tuesday after a one-week closure, with police deployed at branches and banks imposing tight restrictions on hard currency withdrawals and transfers abroad.
China stands firmly behind Hong Kong’s chief executive: foreign ministry
China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday its government will continue to offer firm support to Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam, and is determined to safeguard its sovereignty.
U.S. says South Korea can do more on costs after talks break down
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday he believed South Korea “can and should” contribute more on cost-sharing for hosting the U.S. military, after Seoul broke off the talks earlier in the day following a public backlash.
Small in numbers, Thai Catholics preserve centuries-old traditions
The last time Vararunee Khonchanath was in the presence of a pope was before she was born just over 35 years ago, but when Pope Francis visits Bangkok later this week to bless Thailand’s tiny Catholic minority she will be singing in the choir.
Convicted ex-PM Sharif leaves Pakistan for medical treatment in London
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif left Pakistan on Tuesday in an air ambulance to seek medical treatment in London, his party said, a month after the three-time premier was released on bail from a seven-year prison sentence for corruption.
‘Bear’ the dog helps find koalas injured in Australian bushfires
An obsessive compulsive dog who was abandoned as a puppy has a new mission: helping find and save koalas injured in Australia’s recent devastating bushfires.
Malta arrests suspected middleman in journalist’s murder-source
– A man suspected of being the middleman in the murder of Malta’s most prominent anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has been arrested, a police source said on Tuesday, in a potentially major step forward in the investigation.
Highlights: Hundreds of protesters leave Hong Kong university; about 100 remain
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam told a news conference on Tuesday that about 100 protesters remained inside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University campus that has been sealed off by police.
Student protesters hold out as Hong Kong leader urges peaceful resolution
Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she hoped a standoff between police and a hold-out group of anti-government protesters at a university could be resolved and she had told police to handle it humanely.
