Istanbul / AFP Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that a European Parliament vote set to back a freeze of membership talks with Ankara over its relentless post-coup crackdown would have “no value”. The non-binding vote set for this week threatens to escalate tensions between the European Union and Turkey, which reached new heights in the wake of …

  Phnom Penh / AFP Cambodia’s UN-backed court upheld life sentences for two top former Khmer Rouge leaders on Wednesday for crimes against humanity, delivering a blow to their hopes of release as they face a second trial for genocide. “Brother Number Two” Nuon Chea, 90, and ex-head of state Khieu Samphan, 85, were the first top leaders to be …

  Yangon / AFP Scores of Rohingya Muslims have been killed in a Myanmar army crackdown since early October, when sword-wielding assailants raided police posts in the remote marshlands bordering Bangladesh. The military struck back with ground clearances, most recently backed by helicopter gunships. Access to the conflict areas is heavily restricted, but witness testimony has seeped out alleging mass rapes, …