Pakistan activists’ arrests fuel tension with Afghanistan
The arrest of a group of ethnic Pashtun activists at a rally in Pakistanthis week rekindled an angry row with neighbouring Afghanistan on Thursday as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned Islamabad’s treatment of the protesters.
Norwegian flight returns to Stockholm airport after bomb threat
A Norwegian Air Shuttle plane heading to Nice in France with 169 passengers on board has returned to Arlanda airport outside Stockholm after receiving a bomb threat, the company said on Thursday.
Malaysia’s ex-PM Najib gears up for graft trial with charm offensive
Disgraced former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been out in recent weeks campaigning as if for an election, trying to shed the image of a wealthy, elite politician and elicit public sympathy before his corruption trial begins on Tuesday.
Indonesia finds 193 Bangladeshis locked up in shop house
Indonesian police found 193 Bangladeshis locked up in a shop house after human traffickers had lured them with the promise of getting them to Malaysia, an immigration official said on Thursday.
Five killed in South African coal mine gas explosion
Five people have been killed by a gas explosion in an unused coal mine in South Africa’s eastern province of Mpumalanga and several others remain trapped, police said on Thursday.
Families’ anguish still raw as Genoa bridge demolition to begin
Egle Possetti has to avert her eyes when she drives past the remains of the road bridge in Genoa as she cannot bear looking at the place where her sister was killed along with her family.
As good as gold for some brides in India as election nears
An India state will give gold worth about $530 to every bride from a poor family, the latest budget giveaway ahead of a general election that must be held by May.
Pashtun activists fear crackdown after arrests in Pakistan
The arrests of 19 ethnic Pashtun activists in Pakistan this week has fueled fears of a fresh crackdown on the civil rights movement and a call by Amnesty International on Thursday for their immediate release.
Russia: we would be open to U.S. proposals for new nuclear pact
Russia would be prepared to consider new proposals from the United States to replace a suspended Cold War-era nuclear pact with a broader treaty that includes more countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday.
Explainer: The race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2019
Nigerians will on Feb. 16 choose between two septuagenarians to lead Africa’s largest democracy: President Muhammadu Buhari and former vice president Atiku Abubakar. The pair have run for president nine times between them.
