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South Asia
Bomb blast hits funeral gathering in Pakistan killing over 20
At least 29 people including a member of provincial assembly were killed and 57 others injured in a bomb blast that targeted a funeral gathering in Pakistan’s northwestern district of Mardan on Tuesday, local media and officials said. According to regional police chief Jaffar Khan, the incident took place when…
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South Asia
US-Taliban to hold talks on ending Afghan war
The Taliban and the U.S. said Tuesday they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country’s security to the Afghan army and police. The Taliban met a key U.S. demand…
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East Asia
G8 leaders call for coalition government in Syria
President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other G-8 leaders took a united stance Tuesday on seeking a negotiated Syrian peace settlement to forge a “united, inclusive and democratic” government – but couldn’t agree on whether this means President Bashar Assad must go. Their declaration at the end of…
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West Asia
Turkish protesters stand still and silent at Taksim Square
Turkey’s prime minister on Tuesday brushed aside international criticism over his government’s crackdown on widespread demonstrations and vowed to increase the police’s powers to deal with the unrest. Meanwhile, more than 90 people were detained in police raids linked to the protests. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s defiant stance appeared aimed at…
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West Asia
ADIPEC Awards to recognize female empowerment in gas and oil sector
Young ADIPEC Engineer Category Seeks to Groom Future Leaders and Innovators Regional Jury Panel Includes Two Experts from Kuwait’s Oil and Gas Industry The Abu Dhabi Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) Awards, which recognise and reward excellence within individual projects and departments of gas and oil companies in the MENA…
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West Asia
Turkish labor groups strike to support protesters
Turkish labor groups fanned a wave of defiance against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authority, leading rallies and a one-day strike to support activists whose two-week standoff with the government has shaken the country’s secular democracy. Riot police again deployed in Turkey’s two main cities, and authorities kept up their…
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Central Asia
G8 leadership remains divided on Syria conflict
Deep differences over Syria’s fierce civil war clouded a summit of world leaders Monday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin defiantly rejecting calls from the U.S., Britain and France to halt his political and military support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s regime. But there were also fissures among the three Western…
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West Asia
Iranian President urges greater nuclear transparency
Iran’s newly elected president showcased his reform-leaning image Monday by promising a “path of moderation” that includes greater openness on Tehran’s nuclear program and overtures to Washington. He also made clear where he draws the line: No halt to uranium enrichment and no direct U.S. dialogue without a pledge to…
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Central Asia
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan establish bilateral ties
Uzbek President Islam Karimov (R) shakes hands with visiting Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev at a press conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 14, 2013. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan established strategic partnership on Friday, pledging to boost bilateral cooperation. <Xinhua/NEWSis/Dong Longjiang>
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South Asia
University bus attack kills 24 people in Pakistan
Pakistani police say the death toll from attacks on a hospital and a women’s university bus in a southwestern provincial capital has increased to 24. Senior police officer Fayaz Sumbal said Sunday that a doctor and two nurses who were critically wounded in the suicide attack on the Bolan Medical…
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