AFP, BEIJING: China has slammed the US for sailing a warship near disputed territory in the South China Sea, saying the move was a “serious illegal act” and “deliberately provocative”. In a statement on its website late Friday night, the country’s defence ministry…

AFP, MOSCOW: Nineteen people died when a helicopter carrying oil and gas field workers crashed in a remote area of Siberia in bad weather, Russian investigators said Saturday. The Mi-8 helicopter carrying 22 people including three crew crashed Friday night in the far-northern Yamalo-Nenetsky region…

AFP, YAOUNDÉ: Fifty-five people were killed and almost 600 injured when a packed Cameroon passenger train derailed on Friday, leaving debris strewn across nearby tracks as carriages swung off the rails.The train, travelling from the capital Yaounde to the economic hub Douala, was crammed with…

Three senior Taliban members traveled to Pakistan this week and held a series of meetings with Pakistani officials in Islamabad, mainly to brief them…

AFP, BANGKOK: Tens of thousands of black-clad Thais gathered outside Bangkok’s Grand Palace on Saturday to sing the royal anthem in a striking display of devotion to the recently deceased King Bhumibol Adulyadej.The monarch, who died on October 13 following years of poor health, was seen as a…