world news

Saudi Arabia, a key regional ally of the West, has expressed "full" backing for the US-led strikes against Syria and other U.S. allies Jordan and Egypt called for a political solution while Iraq warned the move could give terrorism an opportunity to expand in the region. Mixed reactions came from the Middle Eastern countries following an overnight attack on the Assad regime by the U.S., British and French forces. Saudi foreign ministry blamed the government of Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad for the necessity of the strikes and said in a statement that the military operations came in response to "the Syrian regime's continued use of internationally prohibited chemical weapons against innocent civilians." Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammad al-Momani said in a statement: "Continued violence will only lead to more violence, conflict, fighting and displacement whose victim is the Syrian people," without referring to the daw...

Preparing to head to Kabul, Pakistan’s prime minister reiterated on April 5 his country’s full support for Afghanistan’s efforts to revive the long-stalled peace process with the Taliban. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s remarks came on the eve of his key visit to Afghanistan, which could help ease tensions between the two neighbors. The visit, Abbasi’s first visit since becoming prime minister last year, followed an invitation from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. “We stand for peace in Afghanistan,” Abbasi told a counter-terrorism conference in Islamabad. In Kabul, Abbasi is expected to discuss a range of issues, including how to facilitate talks between Kabul and the Taliban, during the day-long visit on April 6. Pakistan is under pressure from Kabul and Washington to stop offering safe havens to militants blamed for attacks in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies. Pakistan also insists its influence over the Taliban has been exaggerated. Pakistan has, however, praised Ghani’s overtu...

Officials from North and South Korea discussed protocol headaches and other logistics of a rare summit later this month, which will see Kim Jong Un become the first North Korean leader to set foot in the South since the end of the Korean War. Kim and the South's president Moon Jae-in are due to meet on April 27 at the South's side of the demilitarized zone for the landmark inter-Korean summit. Thursday's working-level meeting was aimed at ironing out the protocols, security measures and media coverage of the summit, the South's presidential office said. "We had sincere talks for four hours straight," said Kwun Hyuk-ki, one of the five-member South Korean delegation to the talks. He declined to give details, saying the two sides will meet again for further discussions on a date yet to be fixed. This month's summit will be only the third of its kind since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice. It is set to take place at the South'...