WELLINGTON, August 14: New Zealand officials admitted Wednesday that they made a mistake by allowing the man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques to send a hand-written letter from his prison cell.

BANGKOK, Aug 14: A court in Thailand on Wednesday dismissed terrorism and other charges against 24 leaders of an extended street protest in 2010 that saw key areas of central Bangkok closed off and random violence that was ended by military force.

BEIJING, August 14: China’s economy stumbled more sharply than expected in July, with industrial output growth cooling to a more than 17-year low, as the intensifying U.S. trade war took a heavier toll on businesses and consumers.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 14: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan used an address celebrating Independence Day on Wednesday to criticise India for its actions in the disputed Kashmir region that has long been a flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Oil prices drop on weak China economic data, U.S. stocks rise

Published On: August 14, 2019 11:07 AM NPT By: Reuters

TOKYO/SINGAPORE, Aug 14: Oil prices fell on Wednesday on disappointing economic data from China and a rise in U.S. crude inventories, erasing some of the sharp gains in the previous session on signs of an easing in Sino-U.S. trade tensions.

HONG KONG, Aug 14: Hong Kong’s airport resumed operations on Wednesday, rescheduling hundreds of flights that had been disrupted over the past two days as protesters clashed with riot police in a deepening crisis in the Chinese-controlled city.

Protesters cripple Hong Kong airport for a 2nd day

Published On: August 13, 2019 09:45 PM NPT By: Associated Press

HONG KONG, Aug 13: Pro-democracy demonstrators severely crippled operations at Hong Kong’s international airport for a second day Tuesday, forcing authorities to cancel all remaining flights as the city’s pro-Beijing leader warned that the protesters had pushed events onto a “path of no return.”

UN urges reluctant EU nations to help stranded migrants

Published On: August 13, 2019 08:30 PM NPT By: Associated Press

BRUSSELS, Aug 13: The United Nations refugee agency urgently appealed to European governments Tuesday to let two migrant rescue ships disembark more than 500 passengers who remain stranded at sea as countries bicker over who should take responsibility for them.

ATHENS, Aug 13:  Hundreds of firefighters battled three wildfires in Greece, where two villages were being evacuated Tuesday as the largest blaze burned a thickly forested nature reserve on the island of Evia north of Athens.

GOSSI, August 13: The French soldiers seeking out jihadists in central Mali’s savannahs were prepared for the sandstorms, the thunderstorms, the lack of anything resembling a road and the need to tow vehicles whose wheels kept getting stuck in floodplain