Region

MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Thursday accused China of breaking a U.S.-brokered deal between the two nations on the Scarborough Shoal, an uninhabited rocky outcrop in the South China Sea. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines […]

BEIJING: China’s 1.3 billion people are united in their determination never to allow self-ruled Taiwan to become independent, China’s top official in charge of ties with the island was quoted as saying on Thursday, in Beijing’s latest blast at Taipei. China has repeatedly warned Taiwan’s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, whose leader Tsai Ing-wen assumed the […]

HO CHI MINH CITY: Wrapping up a historic visit to Vietnam, US President Barack Obama on Wednesday praised the country’s next generation of leaders for being more conscious of the environment than previous ones and urged them to “do something about” climate change. During his final public event here, Obama basked in the admiration of […]

TEHRAN: Hopes that Iran would quickly reintegrate with world markets after its nuclear deal, bringing investment and opportunities to a young population, are turning to frustration. An opaque business environment in Iran and political uncertainty in the United States are to blame. Tehran’s hotels are buzzing with businessmen keen for a slice of a big […]

PARIS: The stand-off between France’s government and a hardline union over labour reforms stiffened on Wednesday as the country mobilised strategic oil stocks for the first time in 6 years and employers warned the protests were starting to hurt the economy. Police broke up a fuel depot blockade with water cannons while the CGT union […]

LONDON: Floods in Sri Lanka which have forced more than 350,000 people from their homes have left some families with nothing, the Red Cross said on Wednesday as it launched an emergency appeal to deliver relief to tens of thousands of people in the country. Last week’s floods, considered the worst natural disaster in the […]

TEL AVIV: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says if Israel agrees to a Saudi “peace” initiative, Arab states will be willing to normalize their relations with Tel Aviv. “Provided the Israeli administration is ready to commit to a discussion around the Arab peace initiative… it would be possible to have some steps of normalization,” […]

ANKARA: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is presiding over the first meeting of Turkey’s new Cabinet led by a trusted ally, in a clear sign that he intends to maintain influence on the running of government. Erdogan on Sunday appointed Binali Yildirim as prime minister. Yildirim promised to immediately work toward a constitutional overhaul that would […]

BAKU: Azerbaijan’s top court on Wednesday ordered the release of prominent investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who was jailed on corruption charges last year that triggered an international uproar, her lawyer said. “Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court threw out Ismayilova’s initial seven-and-a-half-year sentence and handed her a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence,” the lawyer, Fariz Namazly, said. “We expect her […]