AFP, SEOUL: Visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday left open the possibility of running for the South Korean presidency after his term with the world body ends. Ban arrived in his home country earlier Wednesday for a six-day visit that has fuelled speculation he is considering a tilt…

AFP, PARIS: France said Wednesday it has dipped into its strategic oil reserves due to blockades at refineries as power workers threatened to join gathering…

 AFP, KABUL: Ten people were killed in Afghanistan Wednesday when a suicide bomber on foot detonated his explosives, striking a vehicle carrying court employees near the capital Kabul, the interior ministry said. “A suicide bomber blew himself up... in Paghman district, killing 10 people…

AFP, RAMALLAH: The appointment of a hardline right-winger as Israel’s defence minister represents a “real threat” to regional stability, a senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday. “The existence of this government brings a real threat of instability and extremism in the…

AFP, PESHAWAR: Gunmen killed three paramilitary soldiers Wednesday after opening fire on their vehicle in Peshawar in Pakistan’s insurgency-racked northwest, officials said. The drive-by shooting took place on the city’s Ring Road. “Three gunmen riding two motorbikes opened fire at…

AFP, KUWAIT CITY: The UN envoy said Wednesday that Yemen’s warring parties were closer to agreement at peace talks in Kuwait as he prepared to brief the Security Council on progress in negotiations. “We are moving towards a general understanding that encompasses the expectations and visions…

AFP, WASHINGTON: Former US president Jimmy Carter is decrying the resurgence of racial tensions coinciding with the rise of Donald Trump, warning that the billionaire tycoon’s White House candidacy has tapped a reservoir of “inherent racism.” Carter told The New York Times on Monday…