India on Saturday imposed a widespread curfew, cut off all internet services and deployed thousands of troops in Kashmir as the volatile Himalayan region marked the anniversary of a hugely popular rebel leader’s death. Residents of Indian-administered Kashmir said the restrictions on movement were some of the strictest they had seen, with some villagers told … Read more
Thousands of Yemenis demanding southern secession rallied in the streets of Aden on Friday, waving the flag of the formerly independent south in their third protest since May. Protesters marched through central Aden, Yemen’s second city and home to the war-ravaged country’s government. They chanted their support for the South Transitional Council and demanded the … Read more
The United States said on Friday it was reviewing ties with UNESCO after the UN cultural agency declared the Old City of Hebron to be Palestinian territory and a world heritage site. US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the UNESCO decision was an “affront to history” and “further discredits an already highly questionable UN agency.” “Today’s … Read more
UNESCO on Friday declared the Hoh Xil nature reserve in China’s Qinghai Province a natural heritage site in a controversial decision challenged by pro-Tibet activists. The Hoh Xil nature reserve, located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is home to over 200 animal species. More than 20 of them are state-protected, including the Tibetan antelope. It is … Read more
Russia and the United States have agreed to a ceasefire in southern Syria starting from midday on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Friday in Hamburg. “Today in Amman Russian, American and Jordanian experts… agreed on a memorandum of understanding to create a de-escalation zone” in the regions of Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida, he … Read more
The orangutan population on the island of Borneo has shrunk by a quarter in the last decade, researchers said Friday, urging a rethink of strategies to protect the critically-endangered great ape. The first-ever analysis of long-term orangutan population trends revealed a worrying decline, they said. An international team of researchers used a combination of helicopter … Read more
A brash businessman with martial arts skills was leading Mongolia’s first-ever presidential runoff election early Saturday after a scandal-plagued race to take the helm of the resource-rich but debt-laden country. Khaltmaa Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party (DP), a 54-year-old former world champion in the Soviet martial art Sambo, had 50.7 percent of the vote … Read more
Qatar hit back Friday at a threat by four “siege countries” to impose further sanctions on the emirate over its refusal to bow to their ultimatum for ending the Gulf crisis. In a statement attributed to a senior foreign ministry source, a defiant Qatar said the demands of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates … Read more
The orangutan population on the island of Borneo has shrunk by a quarter in the last decade, researchers said Friday, urging a rethink of strategies to protect the critically-endangered great ape. The first-ever analysis of long-term orangutan population trends revealed a worrying decline, they said. An international team of researchers used a combination of helicopter … Read more
US warplanes have flown over the disputed South China Sea, the US Air Force said Friday, a move aimed at asserting freedom of navigation rights in the hotly-contested area. The flights come as both US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the G-20 meeting in Hamburg. A US B1-B bomber and two … Read more
Twenty-six Egyptian soldiers were killed or wounded on Friday in attacks on checkpoints in the Sinai Peninsula where the Islamic State group is conducting an insurgency, the military said. Security officials who requested anonymity said at least seven soldiers were killed, but it was not immediately possible to obtain an official death toll. The military … Read more
Twenty-six Egyptian soldiers were killed or wounded on Friday in attacks on several checkpoints in Sinai that included car bombings, the military said in a statement. The military said it killed 40 assailants as it clashed with extremists in North Sinai, where the Islamic State group is leading a deadly insurgency. Security officials said ambulances … Read more
With Myanmar emerging as a manufacturing hub for mass-produced clothes, a crop of young designers are using home-grown fashion to preserve the country’s sartorial heritage and reshape the sweatshop model. Inside her boutique in downtown Yangon, Pyone Thet Thet Kyaw crafts her own designs using traditional patterns and fabrics, many from ethnic minority groups, to … Read more
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis reaffirmed America’s strategic security partnership with Qatar on Thursday, the Pentagon said, amid a diplomatic crisis in the Gulf. It was also announced that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Kuwait — one of the countries angry at Qatar in the spat — on July 10 at the … Read more
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis reaffirmed America’s strategic security partnership with Qatar on Thursday, the Pentagon said, amid a diplomatic crisis in the Gulf. Mattis, who spoke with his Qatari counterpart Khaled bin Mohammed al-Attiyah by phone, also discussed the status of operations against the Islamic State group. Qatar hosts a vital US-led command center … Read more
China’s sole aircraft carrier arrived in Hong Kong for the first time Friday in a display of military might less than a week after a high-profile visit by president Xi Jinping. Xi’s trip marked 20 years since Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain, and analysts said it left little doubt that Beijing … Read more
Saudi Arabia and its allies on Friday criticised Qatar’s refusal to accept conditions to end the Gulf’s biggest diplomatic crisis in years as a threat to regional security. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain said Qatar’s rejection of a list of demands they set to lift sanctions on Doha “reflects its intention … Read more
Mongolians head to the polls on Friday in the country’s first-ever presidential runoff after the first round elections failed to produce a clear winner following campaigns tainted by corruption scandals. Businessman and judoka Khaltmaa Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party (DP), who led the first round, faces parliament speaker Mieygombo Enkhbold of the ruling Mongolian … Read more
Saudi Arabia, which is leading a four-country blockade of Gulf neighbour Qatar, on Thursday accused Doha of being behind over 23,000 Twitter accounts it blames for trying to stoke dissent in Saudi Arabia. “We found over 23,000 Twitter accounts driven by Qatar, some of them linked to accounts calling for ‘revolution’ in Saudi Arabia,” Information … Read more
Saudi Arabia on Thursday said it had begun taxing foreigners working in the private sector as part of fiscal reforms aimed at coping with a drop in oil revenues. Long a tax-free haven for expatriates, the Saudi economy was dealt a serious blow in 2014 when global crude prices plummeted. The kingdom, the world’s largest … Read more