WASHINGTON:  US President Barack Obama will make a short but politically charged trip from the White House to Capitol Hill Wednesday, calling allied lawmakers to arms in defense of his signature healthcare reforms, reports AFP. Obama's eight-year drive to extend medical coverage to tens of…

SEOUL: South Korea is committed to deploying an advanced US missile defense system this year despite opposition from China, a minister said Wednesday, even as opposition lawmakers headed to Beijing with a different message, reports AFP. Seoul and Washington agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude…

As if recent red alerts for smog weren't bad enough, China has now issued its first-ever red alert for fog to go along with them, reports CNN. More…

NEW DELHI: Five Indian states representing more than 160 million voters will go to the polls in the next two months, the election commission said Wednesday,…

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi attack helicopter crashed Wednesday south of the Mosul battlefield, killing all four crew members, security officials said, reports AFP. "During an army aviation mission this morning, an aircraft crashed due to a technical failure," the Joint Operations Command coordinating…

KUALA LUMPUR:  Floods in two northeast Malaysian states have now forced almost 23,000 people from their homes and extra relief centres have been opened, rescue officials said Wednesday, reports AFP. Seasonal flooding hits Malaysia's east coast states every year and regularly results in mass…

Indonesia has suspended all military co-operation with Australia, saying "a lot of things needed to be improved", reports BBC. Army spokesman Maj Gen Wuryanto said the halt came into force in December and a broad range of activities were affected, including joint training. Australian Defence…

BEIJING: Seven people died in a rest home fire Wednesday in China, where elderly care is a growing issue as the population ages and enforcement of safety standards is often lax, reports AFP. The fire broke out at the privately-owned rest home in the northeastern province of Jilin around 4am, according…