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100 killed in new ‘massacre’ in Syria

More than 100 civilians have been killed in a new ‘massacre’ in Syria, a watchdog said Thursday, as Russia slammed the United States for blaming deadly blasts at a university campus on the Damascus regime. Full story

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India-Pakistan truce takes hold in Kashmir

A ceasefire took hold Thursday in disputed Kashmir after the Indian and Pakistani armies agreed to halt deadly cross-border firing that had threatened to unravel a fragile peace process. Full story

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Media group urges further Myanmar reform

Myanmar should repeal laws and develop a code of conduct for journalists to ensure further progress amid an opening in the country’s long-closed media, Reporters Without Borders said. Full story

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Israel dismantles Palestinian protest camp

The Israeli police overnight dismantled a Palestinian protest camp set up on a controversial piece of land on the outskirts of Jerusalem, a police spokesman and activists said on Thursday. Full story

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Floods swamp Indonesia capital, 19,000 homeless

Floods which have made more than 19,000 people homeless and killed three brought parts of the Indonesian capital to a standstill Thursday, with even the president forced to roll up his trousers. The waist-deep muddy waters paralysed much... Full story

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Pakistan police disperse families protesting with coffins

Pakistani police early Thursday fired tear gas shells to disperse coffin-carrying protesters who refused to bury 14 people allegedly killed in a raid by security forces, officials said. The pre-dawn operation was launched... Full story

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Philippine birth control law takes effect

A controversial birth control law came into effect in the Philippines Thursday after more than a decade of bitter opposition from the influential Catholic church, with women saying the change came as a relief. Full story

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India gang-rape case moved to fast-track court

Five adults were ordered Thursday to stand trial in a fast-track court on charges of gang-raping and murdering a student on a bus in New Delhi, one of their defence lawyers said. A magistrate sitting at a district court in... Full story

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Taliban to step up attacks on Afghan forces

Committed to withdrawal in 2014, NATO’s Afghan strategy faces a serious test in coming months with the Taliban expected to step up attacks on local forces taking over security, a senior NATO officer said Thursday. Full story

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Pakistani lawmaker shot dead in Karachi

A Pakistani lawmaker from a coalition partner in the government was shot dead with three of his guards in a drive-by shooting in Karachi on Thursday, the police said. Manzar Imam, 42, belonged to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement... Full story

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100 killed in Darfur gold mine battles: UN

More than 100 people have died in battles for control of gold mines in Sudan’s conflict-ravaged Darfur region, the UN said Wednesday. Several North Darfur villages have been torched in the battles between rival... Full story

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Thousands rally for funeral of slain Kurdish activists

Thousands poured onto the streets of Turkey’s main Kurdish city of Diyarbakir on Thursday for the funeral of three Kurdish activists killed in Paris, chanting pro-militant slogans as their coffins passed through the crowds. Full story

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16 killed on 3rd day of Iraq attacks

A spate of bombings targeting Shiite Muslims across Iraq killed 16 people on Thursday, the latest in a spike in unrest amid weeks of anti-government protests and a political crisis engulfing the country. Full story

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Chavez thanks troops for ‘loyalty and love’

Lying in a Havana hospital bed as he recovers from cancer surgery, the president, Hugo Chavez, thanked Venezuela’s military for their loyalty and love, the vice president said Wednesday. Full story

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US, Japan review defence guidelines amid tension with China

The United States and Japan began on Thursday the revision of defence cooperation guidelines for the first time in 15 years as prime minister Shinzo Abe faces a territorial dispute with China and North Korea’s missile... Full story

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Taiwan, Thailand join hands to fight crime

Taiwan and Thailand signed a crime-fighting agreement on Thursday aimed at curbing a growing number of cross-border scams and other crimes, Taipei officials said. ‘This is a milestone in police cooperation. Full story

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Obama’s Kenyan half brother running for political seat

President Barack Obama’s Kenyan half brother has launched his own political career by announcing his intention to run for a Kenyan county gubernatorial seat in the upcoming March 4 elections. Full story

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