AP, Hemeimeem Air Base: Russian warplanes were taking off Wednesday from their base in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia, which was bustling with activity as Moscow pressed its air blitz days before scheduled peace talks. A pair of Su-25 jets flew past, returning from a mission shortly after…

AFP, RIYADH: When Saudi Arabia’s king Abdullah died a year ago on Saturday, his subjects expected their country to keep a steady course under new…

AFP, JERUSALEM: Israel is moving to declare 150 hectares in the occupied West Bank as state land in what would be the largest such seizure since 2014, officials and media reports said Wednesday. If approved, the move is likely to draw international condemnation in line with previous seizures. The farmland…

AFP, SEOUL: Calling North Korea the greatest source of instability in Asia, a top US diplomat urged China on Wednesday to “show leadership” in international efforts to sanction Pyongyang following its fourth nuclear test. US Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who was in Seoul on a two-day…

AFP, SRINAGAR, India:  A civilian protester and a suspected militant were killed in clashes with government forces Wednesday in disputed Indian-administered Kashmir, police said. After receiving a tip-off about suspected rebels in Naina, some 35 kilometres (22 miles) south of the main city of Srinagar,…