Exclusive: As Trump cracks down on Pakistan, U.S. cuts military training programs
President Donald Trump’s administration has quietly started cutting scores of Pakistani officers from coveted training and educational programs that have been a hallmark of bilateral military relations for more than a decade, U.S. officials say.
Russia tells Washington curbs on its banks would be act of economic war
Russia warned the United States on Friday it would regard any U.S. move to curb the activities of its banks as a “declaration of economic war” and would retaliate, as new sanctions took their toll on the ruble and U.S. lawmakers threatened more.
Maldives seeks scaling back of Indian presence as it woos China
The Maldives wants India to withdraw military helicopters and personnel posted there following the expiry of an agreement in June, its envoy said, the latest snub to New Delhi by President Abdulla Yameen’s China-backed government.
Russia must rein in torture, prosecute prison guards: U.N.
Russia must halt frequent torture of detainees and prosecute perpetrators, including prison guards caught on video beating an inmate that led to a public outcry, United Nations human rights investigators said on Friday.
Overworked, underpaid: Bangladesh bus drivers say accidents not entirely their fault
Khurshid Alam says he pulls 17-hour shifts three days a week driving a private bus in Dhaka, where tens of thousands of students held angry protests for over a week demanding an end to rash driving that killed two teenagers late last month.
Face value: Australians seek free portraits of Queen Elizabeth
Australians by the dozen are demanding portraits of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, after a news item drew attention to an obscure rule entitling them to such articles from local politicians.
China says Pacific aid has no political strings
China’s aid to countries in the Pacific has no political strings attached and is not aimed at any third party, the country’s foreign ministry said on Friday, after a think-tank said China has become the second-largest aid donor in the South Pacific.
Taliban fighters storm Afghanistan’s Ghazni
Heavily armed Taliban fighters attacked Ghazni city in central Afghanistan early on Friday, burning police checkpoints, shelling houses and business areas and seizing control of parts of the city before being beaten back, officials said.
Deal on Caspian Sea’s legal status to be signed on Sunday: Kremlin
The five countries which border the Caspian Sea will adopt a convention on its legal status on Sunday, a deal which has been under discussion for more than two decades, the Kremlin said in a statement on Friday.
Red Cross warns of food crisis in North Korea as crops fail in heat
A heat wave in North Korea has led to rice, maize and other crops withering in the fields, “with potentially catastrophic effects”, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Friday.
