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West Asia
Afghan President Hamid Karzai favors security agreement with US
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he favors a security agreement with America allowing some of its troops to remain after the end of 2014 but wants unspecified “guarantees.” Karzai provided no details when he spoke Thursday at a gathering on rural development. But he has said in the past that…
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West Asia
Turkish PM Erdogan rejects comparison with Arab Spring uprisings
Turkish riot police launched round after round of tear gas against protesters on Monday, the fourth day of violent demonstrations, as the president and the prime minister staked competing positions on the unrest. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected the protesters’ demands that he resign and dismissed the demonstrations as…
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West Asia
Conflict between Egypt-Ethiopia deepens due to Ethiopian dam
Politicians meeting with Egypt’s president on Monday proposed hostile acts against Ethiopia, including backing rebels and carrying out sabotage, to stop it from building a massive dam on the Nile River upstream. Some of the politicians appeared unaware the meeting with President Mohammed Morsi was being carried live on TV.…
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West Asia
Anti-government clashes in Turkey spread as protesters hold square
A demonstrator was killed Monday during a wave of protests in Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul, the Turkish Doctors’ Union (TTB) said. Mehmet Ayvalitas, 20, was hit by a car driver, who ignored warnings in demonstrations in Umraniye district, the TTB said. The victim, a member of Socialist Solidarity Platform,…
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East Asia
Chinese President Xi shakes hands with Costa Rican President Chinchilla
Chinese President Xi Jinping(L) shakes hands with Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla during their talks in San Jose, Costa Rica, June 3, 2013. <Xinhua/NEWSis/Rao Aimin>
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West Asia
President of Al-Najah Univ. appointed as new Palestinian PM
The file photo taken on June 15, 2011 shows Rami Al-Hamadallah, the president of al-Najah University, attending a graduation ceremony in the West Bank city of Nablus. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday assigned an independent academic, Rami Al- Hamadallah, to form a new government to replace the one led…
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West Asia
Thousands of Turks participate in anti-gov’t protest at Taksim Square
ISTANBUL (AP) – Turkey’s prime minister on Sunday rejected claims that he is a “dictator,” dismissing protesters as an extremist fringe, even as thousands returned to the landmark Istanbul square that has become the site of the fiercest anti-government outburst in years. Over the past three days, protesters around the…
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East Asia
Asia-Pacific security forum ‘Shangri-la Dialogue’ kicks off in Singapore
Cyber security threats are a threat to not only the United States, but also other countries including China, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Saturday. “They are threats to China. They are threats to every country. We share those common interests,” the Pentagon chief told an audience that included…
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East Asia
Chinese President Xi meets Trinidad and Tobago’s parlimentary leaders
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) meets with President of Trinidad and Tobago Anthony Carmona in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, June 1, 2013. <Xinhua/NEWSis/Lan Hongguang> Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) meets with Trinidad and Tobago’s Senate President Timothy Hamel-Smith (L) and Speaker of the House of Representatives Wade Mark…
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South East Asia
Malaysian PM Razak boosts Election Commission’s independence
Malaysia’s leader said Saturday that the Election Commission would be placed under Parliament’s watch to boost confidence in its independence after recent national elections sparked allegations of fraud, but the opposition said the move did not go far enough. Prime Minister Najib Razak’s National Front coalition won May 5 polls,…
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