Saudi delegation visits Yemen’s Hadramaut, calls for STC withdrawal

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia called for the withdrawal of Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces from Hadramaut and Al-Mahra, as a high-level delegation visiting the region on Tuesday announced a new arrangement to secure uninterrupted oil production in the PetroMasila fields. Major General Mohammed Al-Qahtani, heading the Saudi delegation, said the Kingdom remains committed to de-escalation in […]

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Beijing protests ‘political’ UK sanctions on Chinese cyber firms

BEIJING: Beijing denounced on Wednesday British sanctions on two Chinese companies which London alleged were involved in cyber activities against Britain, saying the measure amounted to “political manipulation” of security issues. The British Foreign Office sanctioned on Tuesday Chinese-based companies i-Soon and Integrity Technology Group “for their vast and indiscriminate cyberactivities against the UK and […]

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Why South Korea is powerless to revive Trump-Kim nuclear talks

By Maria Siow South Korea’s recent moves to lower tensions with Pyongyang – from removing its propaganda loudspeakers to downplaying the North’s human rights record – may ease frictions on the peninsula, but analysts say they are unlikely to help restart stalled denuclearisation talks between North Korea and the US. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un […]

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Thailand-Cambodia clashes displace 5 lakh people; evacuees recount escape

Renewed fighting along the Thailand-Cambodia border has forced hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes, with evacuees describing emotional and rushed escapes. Amnat Meephew, 73, had only moments to gather his clothes before leaving his home just a few kilometres from the border, marking the second mass displacement in four months. “Sometimes when […]

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Indonesia’s Prabowo urges elites to ‘be brave’, change how regional heads are selected

By Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto has revived debate over how the country chooses its regional leaders by using a major gathering of his governing coalition to urge political elites to “be brave” and consider scrapping direct elections. Prabowo and his supporters argue that shifting to indirect regional elections would cut wasteful spending […]

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Lebanon foreign minister declines Tehran visit, proposes talks in neutral country

Lebanon’s foreign minister Youssef Raji said on Wednesday he had declined an invitation to visit Tehran for now, proposing instead talks with Iran in a mutually agreed neutral third country, Lebanese state news agency NNA reported. Raji cited “current conditions” for the decision not to go to Iran, without elaborating, and stressed that the move […]

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Saudi Arabia, Iran affirm commitment to implementing Beijing Agreement

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Iran affirmed their commitment to implementing the Beijing Agreement during a meeting in Tehran on Tuesday. Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khureiji attended the third meeting of the Joint Tripartite Committee between Saudi Arabia, Iran and China. The Saudi and Iranian sides “affirmed their commitment to implementing the Beijing Agreement in […]

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South Korea’s Lee calls for probe into links between religious group and politics

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called for an investigation into the suspected illegal links between a religious group and politicians, Lee’s office said on Wednesday. Lee’s order should apply “no matter whether (a politician is from the) ruling or opposition party, a high or low position”, the presidential office said in a statement. […]

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