Moscow / AFP Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday accused the US-led coalition in Syria of failing to rein in hardline rebels, and said the chance of a political settlement was now remote. He said the coalition was “putting spokes in the wheel” of Russia’s military operation in the country and failing to “act in unison”. “As a …

  Islamabad / AFP Amnesty International has called on Pakistan to release hundreds of opposition activists detained before a planned mass protest, as police used tear gas and rubber bullets overnight to prevent demonstrators from entering Islamabad. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is under growing pressure from opposition parties, mainly Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), over corruption. It plans to lock …

  Seoul / AFP South Korean prosecutors on Monday questioned the woman at the centre of a political scandal that has shattered public confidence in President Park Geun-Hye, with allegations of fraud and meddling in state affairs. In the wake of mass street protests in Seoul and other cities to demand Park’s resignation, Choi Soon-Sil—who has denied any criminal wrongdoing—submitted to …