Russia says talks on Ukraine in ‘Normandy format’ not possible now: Ifax
Russian foreign minister said on Saturday talks on Ukraine with leaders from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, known as the Normandy format, were impossible after the killing of a rebel leader in eastern Ukraine, Interfax agency reported.
Russian passenger jet goes off runway in Sochi, 18 injured
A Russian passenger plane ran off an airport runway outside Russia’s southern city of Sochi early on Saturday and caught fire injuring 18 people, officials and state media reported.
Blast strikes north Syria town
A blast killed at least one person in a region of north Syria controlled by Turkey-backed Syrian rebel groups, a witness and a war monitor said on Saturday.
China evacuates 127,000 people as heavy rains lash Guangdong: Xinhua
China has evacuated 127,000 people in the southern province of Guangdong due to heavy rains, the official Xinhua news agency said Saturday, citing local authorities.
Russia’s Lavrov says U.S. sanctions counter-productive: TASS
U.S. sanctions against Russia are counter-productive but Moscow is ready for dialogue once the U.S. side is ready for talks with mutual respect, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday, TASS state news agency reported.
UK minister holds talks in Iran in first visit since U.S. quit nuclear deal
A junior British minister held talks with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran on Saturday, Iran’s television reported, the first visit by a UK minister since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Lawmaker critical of President Museveni flies out of Uganda: lawyers
Prominent Ugandan opposition lawmaker and popular musician Robert Kyagulanyi who was charged with treason has left Uganda by plane, his lawyers said.
In Israel visit, Philippines’ Duterte dogged by past rhetoric
When Rodrigo Duterte makes the first visit to Israel by a president of the Philippines next week, officials on both sides will try to play down his record of jarring invective while promoting commercial and military ties.
China says not putting pressure on Taiwan’s last Africa ally
China is not putting any pressure on self-ruled Taiwan’s last diplomatic ally in Africa, the Kingdom of eSwatini, to switch to Beijing, but believes it is just a matter of time before that happens, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Saturday.
North Korea preparing toned-down military parade: analysts
Satellite imagery shows North Korea is poised to stage another military parade amid new worries that diplomatic efforts on denuclearization are stalling, though analysts say it is unclear whether it will showcase any of the country’s largest ballistic …
