Syrian civilians fleeing fighting need transit site, aid: UNHCR
The U.N. refugee agency said on Friday it had asked the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to designate a transit site en route to a camp where civilians fleeing fighting in the harsh winter can get life-saving aid after 29 children died.
Thai junta chief touts economy, coy on candidacy as elections loom
The leader of Thailand’s military government on Friday credited the junta with restoring a strong economic footing and called for “continuity”, but he stopped short of saying whether he will be a candidate in long-delayed elections set for March 24.
China’s Xi surprises Beijingers with casual pre-new year visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping dropped in on surprised diners at a small Beijing restaurant and chatted with deliverymen on Friday on an apparently unscripted visit ahead of next week’s Lunar New Year holiday.
Erik Prince had ‘no knowledge’ of training agreement in China’s Xinjiang: spokesman
(Corrects value of investment to 40 million yuan from 4 million yuan in paragraph 13 of this Feb. 1 story.)
In Myanmar, final arguments made in Muslim lawyer’s murder case
Lawyers defending the suspected conspirators behind the murder of a prominent Muslim lawyer in Myanmar on Friday proclaimed their clients’ innocence, or asked the court for lesser charges, as the landmark case drew to a close.
EU irks Britain by calling Gibraltar ‘colony’
Britain could get visa-free access to the European Union for its citizens even after no-deal Brexit but objected on Friday to language used in the proposed EU regulation which described Gibraltar as a “colony”.
Instant View: India government steps up rural funding in last budget before election
India’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led government poured extra money into support for farmers and a rural jobs program, delivering on Friday its last budget before a general election due by May with the clear aim of winning over votes.
Highlights: India unveils budget aimed at wooing countryside before election
India on Friday unveiled an interim budget with givaways for rural and poorer citizens, in what is being seen as a critical test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is facing anger over depressed farm incomes and unemployment with a general election …
Pope wants ‘new page in history’ on first trip to Arabian peninsula
Pope Francis is hoping to persuade a country enmeshed in a regional war that he has condemned to give Catholics more freedom when he becomes the first pontiff to set foot on the Arabian Peninsula.
Civilians fleeing in eastern Syria need transit site, aid in winter: UNHCR
The U.N. refugee agency said on Friday it had asked the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to designate a transit site on the way to al-Hol camp where civilians fleeing fighting in harsh winter weather can be given life-saving aid.
