Politics

  Moscow / AP The powerful chief of Russia’s equivalent to the FBI on Monday called for sweeping new rights restrictions, including curbing Internet freedoms and making it illegal to question Moscow’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin backed a radical crackdown citing the need to counteract the “destructive” influence of the United ...

  Tripoli / AFP Libya’s parliament was set on Monday for a crucial confidence vote on a new unity government, as Britain’s Philip Hammond became the latest top diplomat to land in Tripoli in support of the UN-backed administration. Hammond flew into Tripoli on a surprise trip, hot on the heels of visits last week by the foreign ministers of ...

  MINAMIASO / AP US airlifts were delivering water, bread, ready-to-eat food and other emergency supplies on Monday to a remote area of southern Japan stricken by two powerful earthquakes, as local rescuers searched for 10 people still reported missing. Authorities said at least 42 people died and more than 1,000 were injured in the quakes on Thursday and early ...

  Beijing / AFP Beijing landed a military plane on a disputed South China Sea reef it has built up into an artificial island, officials said on Monday, in the first confirmation of such a flight. An air force plane landed on Fiery Cross reef in the Spratlys archipelago on Sunday to evacuate sick workers, a news report posted online ...

Baghdad / AFP US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter visited Baghdad on Monday for talks on stepping up the fight against the IS group in Iraq, where the US has deployed troops to fight the extremists. Carter’s visit comes after a week of political turmoil that has been a setback for Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi, and the US defence ...

  SANAA / AP Yemen’s Shiite rebels backed out of UN-brokered peace talks just hours before the negotiations were to start on Monday in Kuwait, demanding an immediate halt to airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition that has waged a year-long war against them, officials said. It was not immediately clear if the negotiations were completely scuttled. According to two media ...

  KABUL / AP Afghan officials say flash floods in northern provinces have killed at least 38 people overnight. Remote, northern areas of Afghanistan often see flash floods triggered by heavy rains, which also cause landslides. The officials said on Monday that the flash floods struck the provinces of Takhar, Badghis and Samangan. Heavy rains have also hit the capital, ...

Beirut / AFP Key Syrian rebel groups vowed on Monday to strike back against alleged regime ceasefire violations, casting doubt on the future of fragile peace talks due to resume in Geneva. A truce agreed in February dramatically curtailed violence across much of Syria, but fighting has surged in recent days around second city Aleppo, causing tens of thousands to ...

  SEOUL/ AFP South Korea’s president is to visit Iran early next month for what would be the two countries’ first summit talks, her office said Monday. Iran has been seeking to integrate into the global financial system and improve ties with other countries since nuclear-related sanctions were lifted in January. Tehran last year agreed to curb nuclear activities in ...

  Addis Ababa / AFP More followers of an influential Iraqi Shiite cleric on Monday joined a rally in central Baghdad to press lawmakers to vote on a Cabinet shakeup proposed by the prime minister amid a simmering political crisis that could jeopardize the country’s fight against the Islamic State group. Police cordoned off a downtown square with razor wire ...