Russia says names of men accused over Skripal ‘mean nothing to us’: RIA
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the names of two men British prosecutors have accused of trying to murder former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia meant nothing to Moscow, the RIA news agency reported.
Israeli minister: no knowledge of Trump ordering Assad killed
Israel’s intelligence minister said on Wednesday he had no knowledge of close ally U.S. President Donald Trump ever ordering the killing of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.
Japan begins clean-up after typhoon kills 11; major airport closed
Japan began on Wednesday to clean up after a powerful typhoon killed 11 people, injured hundreds and stranded thousands at a flooded airport, though when the airport in an industrial and tourist hub might reopen was not clear.
Norway’s $1 trillion fund to beef up scrutiny on sustainability, ocean pollution
Norway’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund wants companies in which it invests to follow stricter guidelines on global sustainability and strengthen efforts to combat plastic pollution of the oceans, it said on Wednesday.
Somali militants kill soldiers, kidnap scores of elders
Gunmen from Somalia’s Al Shabaab group killed six people including at least four soldiers in the streets of the capital, a day after the Islamist movement kidnapped scores of elders in a central region, officials said.
Russia says summit to help clarify military situation in Syria’s Idlib: TASS
Russia’s deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday that the military situation in the Syrian rebel-held province of Idlib would become clearer after a summit in Tehran on Friday, the TASS news agency reported.
U.S.’s Pompeo arrives in Pakistan; to meet new prime minister
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Pakistan on Wednesday for a brief visit on his whistle-stop tour of the region, with the war in Afghanistan and the issue of Islamist militants once again set to dominate discussions with Pakistan.
Farmers’ protest disrupts Indian capital as opposition targets Modi
Thousands of farmers and laborers paralyzed the Indian capital on Wednesday in a protest against what they called the anti-people policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, as opposition parties step up pressure ahead of key elections.
Turkey’s Erdogan hopes Tehran summit will avert Idlib offensive, Hurriyet says
Turkey hopes a summit with Iranian and Russian leaders in Tehran on Friday will avert a Syrian government offensive on the rebel-held Idlib enclave and prevent a new influx of refugees to Turkey, President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying.
South Korean envoys meet Kim in North to prepare for third summit
South Korea said its envoys met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Wednesday to prepare for a third inter-Korean summit later this month, with hopes of putting momentum back into stalled talks between the North and the United States o…
