Hard times ahead
BBC, Moscow :President Vladimir Putin has warned Russians of hard times and urged self-reliance, in his annual state of the nation address to parliament. Speaking...
International
Islamic State cedes little ground despite air attacks
Reuters, Baghdad/Beirut :They have made enemies across the globe and endured three months of U.S.-led air strikes, but Islamic State fighters have surrendered little of...
Belgium works to recognise Palestinian state
AP, Brussels :Belgian legislators from the ruling coalition are working on a non-binding resolution to recognize a Palestinian state, adding to the groundswell of support...
Syria’s conflict will be long, difficult: Assad
AFP, Paris :Syria’s conflict will be long and difficult and its army cannot be everywhere at once, President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published...
Hong Kong student protesters consider pulling up stakes
AFP, Hong Kong :Hong Kong’s student leaders said Thursday they would decide in the coming days whether to leave protest sites they have occupied for...
Mysterious NASA plane spotted
Agencies New York :A mysterious NASA plane has been spotted in eastern Africa, leaving people curious whether it was on some secret mission.The broad-winged white...
Xi has consolidated power quickly, worrying neighbours: Obama
Agencies, Washington :US President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had consolidated power more quickly than any Chinese leader in decades,...
China, Australia agree to boost defence ties
AFP, Beijing :Beijing and Canberra have agreed to enhance military ties, Chinese state media reported, lauding defence relations between them even as Australia strengthens cooperation...
Israel must renounce nuclear arms:UNGA
AP, United Nations :The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved an Arab-backed resolution Tuesday calling on Israel to renounce possession of nuclear weapons and put its...
India plans to modernise Navy
Reuters, New Delhi :India is speeding up a navy modernization programme and leaning on its neighbors to curb Chinese submarine activity in the Indian Ocean,...
Japanese asteroid probe sets off on 6-year journey
AP,Tokyo :A Japanese space probe named after a falcon blasted off today, setting off on a six-year round trip to an asteroid for samples that...
Myanmar `under military control`
AP, Washington : The nominee to become the next commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific says the time isn’t right to expand nascent military ties...