No new bases in Asia: US commander

TOKYO  – The United States’ pivot to Asia will not mean any new bases in the region, but existing alliances will be strengthened and modernised, the chief of US Pacific Command (PACOM)... Read more »

Istanbul police say U.S. tourist was murdered: report

An American tourist whose body was found in the ruins of Istanbul’s old city wall was murdered by a blow to the head, the city’s police chief was quoted as saying on... Read more »

Pakistan, Afghanistan to work out joint security plan

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday agreed to work out a ‘joint security plan’ to ensure peace on the border following the withdrawal of US-led foreign troops from the war-torn country in 2014.... Read more »

Suicide bomber, gunmen kill 33 in Iraq’s Kirkuk

A suicide bomber driving a car and gunmen disguised in police uniforms killed at least 33 people in the Iraqi city Kirkuk on Sunday when they tried to storm the police headquarters.... Read more »

Thailand launches TV channel for Muslims

Bangkok (IINA Report) Thailand’s government has launched the first Malay-language television channel geared toward the insurgency-plagued south’s Muslim-majority audience. Muslims in Thailand’s southernmost Muslim-dominated provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat say they... Read more »

Ten Afghan police officers killed in suicide bombing

Ten police officers, including the local counter-terrorism chief, were killed in a suicide bombing in northern Afghanistan on Saturday. Shortly after 5 p.m. (1230 GMT) a man driving a motorbike detonated a... Read more »

Two landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island leave 11 dead, 19 missing

TWO landslides triggered by heavy rains killed at least 11 people and left 19 others missing on Indonesia’s Sumatra island. The National Disaster Management Agency said seven people were killed and three... Read more »

Garuda Indonesia wins Asia Pacific airline food award by Skyscanner

Indonesia’s flag carrier ranks ahead of Singapore Airlines in the long-haul food category Indonesia’s national airline, Garuda Indonesia, has won the ‘2012 Long-Haul Asia Pacific Airline Food Award’ by leading global travel... Read more »

Tehran-Cairo relations crucial for Middle East: Egyptian envoy

Head of Egypt’s interest section in Iran Khaled Amareh has stressed the need for Tehran-Cairo rapprochement in the face of the ongoing crises in the Middle East. In an exclusive interview with... Read more »

China boosts inter-parliamentary exchange: legislator

MOSCOW – China has been playing a leading role in widening inter-parliamentary exchanges and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, a senior Russian parliamentarian has said. Long-term dialogue between legislative bodies of Russia and... Read more »

Brazil nightclub fire likely killed more than 200: police

A nightclub fire in southern Brazil has probably left more than 200 people dead, a senior police official said on Sunday. Major Gerson da Rosa Ferreira, overseeing rescue efforts at the scene for... Read more »

India-Pakistan water talks likely in March

As tension over ceasefire violations shows signs of dissipating, India has proposed that the next round of talks between water resources secretaries is held in March. The government earlier wanted the talks... Read more »

Minister Peiris calls on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Colombo; Minister of External Affairs Prof. GL Peiris who is currently in New Delhi in connection with the 8th Session of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission called on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan... Read more »

Israeli PM Netanyahu scrambles to keep his job

 By Amy Teibel, Jerusalem: A badly weakened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrambled Wednesday to keep his job by reaching out to a new centrist party that advocates a more earnest push on peacemaking with the... Read more »

Pakistan seeks US explanation on drone manual

Pakistan has asked the United States to halt its highly controversial drone campaign. The issue was raised by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in a meeting with Richard Olson, the US ambassador... Read more »

Earthquake rocks western Indonesia

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake has struck the western Indonesian island of Sumatra, reportedly killing one person. The quake hit Aceh province around dawn on Tuesday. Local media said it was felt strongly in... Read more »

Tahirul Qadri ends protest after deal with government

Islamabad, Jan 18, 2013: Tehrik-e-Minhajul Qauran chief Allama Tahir ul Qadri announced to lift the four-day siege of capital after he reached an agreement with the government. After successful negotiations with the... Read more »

Thousands join Pakistan’s ‘Long March’

Thousands of protesters, led by a Canada-based Pakistani cleric, have begun to march toward the capital Islamabad from the city of Lahore to demand key reforms ahead of elections. Hundreds of cars,... Read more »

Protests against Quetta carnage continue across the country

KARACHI: A strike was observed on Sunday in most parts of the country including Karachi, Multan, Hyderabad, Lahore, Islamabad and Quetta against Thursday’s blasts in Balochistan’s provincial capital. Pakistani Prime Minister Raja... Read more »

Pakistanis watch over 96 bomb dead for second night

Talks between Pakistani officials and Shi’ite leaders on Saturday failed to quell a protest that brought thousands onto cold, wet streets for a second night to watch over the bodies of 96... Read more »

Malaysian opposition rally draws huge crowd

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim urged voters to oust the country’s long-ruling government as tens of thousands of supporters gathered Saturday in a show of force ahead of coming elections. At least... Read more »

As Obama, Karzai meet, Afghan peace efforts show flickers of life

President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will discuss matters of war, including future U.S. troop levels and Afghanistan’s army, when they meet on Friday, but matters of peace may be... Read more »

Double suicide attack kills four in Afghan south

Two Taliban suicide bombers targeted a community meeting at a major border town in southern Afghanistan, killing at least four people and wounding 15 others, local officials said on Sunday. The meeting... Read more »

Japan sees opportunity in Myanmar’s emerging economy

Japan’s deputy prime minister confirmed fresh financial aid for Myanmar on Friday during a visit to an industrial zone that underlined the long-isolated nation’s growing importance as an economic partner. With a... Read more »