UK foreign minister Hunt: Syria’s Assad will be around for a while
British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will remain in place for “a while” thanks to support from Russia, even though Britain’s position was still that he remains a block to lasting peace.
Congo government defends trouble-hit election process
Democratic Republic of Congo’s government on Thursday defended the credibility of last weekend’s disorganized presidential election and its decision to cut Internet access to 80 million citizens in the aftermath.
China reveals plans for carrier relocation to Beijing’s new airport
(This Jan. 3 story was refiled to fix typo in airport name in paragraph 6)
Thailand cancels flights to holiday island as storm threatens
Thailand canceled flights to a popular tourist island, battened down beachside resorts and evacuated offshore oil rigs as the first tropical storm in nearly 30 years menaced its southern shores on Thursday.
Turkey, Iraq will deepen cooperation in fight against terrorism, Erdogan says
Turkey and Iraq will deepen their cooperation in the fight against terrorism, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.
Four tourists from Sweden, Finland, missing after avalanche in Norway
Four tourists from Sweden and Finland were still missing on Thursday, a day after they were feared to have been swept away by an avalanche in Arctic Norway, police said.
Bangladesh opposition boycotts oath, calls for new election
Opposition members of Bangladesh’s parliament boycotted a swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, after rejecting results of a general election that they said was rigged to give Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina her third straight term.
Lion Air ends search for black box, Indonesian investigators plan own probe
Lion Air has ended its search for the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from its Boeing 737 MAX jet that crashed into the Java Sea in October, but Indonesian investigators said they plan to launch their own probe as soon as possible.
Saudi prosecutor seeks death sentence for five suspects in Khashoggi murder case
A Saudi prosecutor has asked for the death penalty for five of 11 suspects held over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the country’s consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, the state news agency SPA reported on Thursday.
Israeli police, settlers clash in evacuation of illegal outpost
Israeli paramilitary police dragged dozens of Jewish settlers out of an illegal outpost in the occupied West Bank on Thursday and said more than 20 officers were hurt during violent resistance to the evacuation.
