MANILA / AP A summit next week between Southeast Asian leaders and President Barack Obama is unlikely to deliver any big economic prizes, but will allow the American side to press the advantages of joining a Pacific trade pact that doesn’t include China. The meetings at Rancho Mirage in California set for Monday and Tuesday will be the first summit ...

Washington / AFP In freezing President Barack Obama’s plan to tackle carbon emissions, the US Supreme Court delivered a blow to a global climate deal — but experts say that US commitments to the deal will survive. Obama’s “Clean Power Plan” would require the power sector to cut carbon dioxide emissions by at least 32 percent compared to 2005 levels ...

Islamabad / AFP Pakistan president Mamnoon Hussain has urged the nation to refrain from celebrating Valentine’s Day, while other officials blasted it as “vulgar and indecent” as they moved to outlaw festivities. The president made the remarks to a crowd of students, saying the day — traditionally celebrated in the West by lovers — had no place in the Muslim-majority ...