Syrian army tightens grip on key town after rebel withdrawal
Syrian government forces looked set to recover a strategic town that has been in rebel hands since 2014 in a major Russian-backed offensive into the opposition’s last major stronghold.
Russia says it has military servicemen in Syria’s Idlib: Ifax
Russia has military servicemen stationed on the ground in Syria’s region of Idlib and is following the situation there closely, Interfax news agency cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Tuesday.
Indonesia sends more police to Papua, curbs internet speed amid tension
Indonesia sent 200 more police officers to Papua on Tuesday and reined in internet speeds to “prevent hoaxes from spreading” as civil unrest persisted in some parts of the country’s easternmost area, officials said.
Philippines’ Duterte warns of ‘unfriendly’ greeting for uninvited warships
President Rodrigo Duterte warned on Tuesday foreign ships faced “unfriendly” treatment if they ventured into Philippines’ territorial waters without permission, in a swipe at China’s deployment of warships a few miles off the coast.
People in protest-hit Hong Kong eye Malaysia’s second-home program
A Malaysian program to attract wealthy foreigners to live in the Southeast Asian nation has drawn 251 applications from Hong Kong residents this year, compared with 193 approved last year from the Chinese-ruled city, a government official said.
Crew describe climate of fear at Cathay after Hong Kong sackings
Pilots and cabin crew at Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways described a “white terror” of political denunciations, sackings and phone searches by Chinese aviation officials amid anti-government protests gripping the former British colony.
EU rebuffs British PM Johnson’s opening Brexit bid
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s demand that the European Union reopen the Brexit divorce deal was rebuffed on Tuesday by the bloc, which said Britain had failed to propose any realistic alternative to an agreed insurance policy for the Irish border.
EU’s Tusk accuses UK PM Johnson of pushing towards post-Brexit Irish border controls
European Council President Donald Tusk said on Tuesday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s demands to drop the Brexit backstop came with no “realistic alternatives” and amounted to seeking a return to controls along the sensitive Irish border.
Kremlin says no cause for alarm after nuclear sensors go offline
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that there was nothing to worry about after a series of Russian radiation monitoring stations were reported to have stopped transmitting data following a mysterious military accident earlier this month.
Kremlin: No date set for Normandy talks on Ukraine despite Macron meeting
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that no date had been set for Normandy format talks on the Ukraine crisis after Russian President Vladimir told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron a day earlier he saw no alternative to such negotiations.
