Deadly clashes erupted in Syria’s Aleppo on Wednesday and a deal for the evacuation of rebel areas was on hold, leaving thousands of cold and hungry civilians uncertain of their future.   

KUNDUZ, AFP, Aug 21, 2016 - Afghan forces have recaptured a district that had fallen briefly to the Taliban, officials and residents said Sunday, after thousands of people fled their homes in Afghanistan's northeastern Kunduz province.

Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump said in a statement on Sunday that President Barack Obama should resign.

At least 15 people including two women died in a southern Pakistani town after drinking tainted liquor, with dozens more sickened, police said on Tuesday.

Malaysia's Attorney- General said today that $681 million transferred into Prime Minister Najib Razak's personal bank account was a gift from the royal family in Saudi Arabia and there were no criminal offences or corruption involved.

French police have identified one of the assailants in the coordinated attacks in Paris as Ismael Omar Mostefai, a 29-year- old French national, and seven of his relatives are being questioned, sources and French media said today.

Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said today the rising number of Afghan asylum seekers was "unacceptable", as he urged young citizens of the south Asian nation to stay at home and rebuild their homeland.

Taliban insurgents overran a district in one of the northern Afghan provinces hit by a powerful earthquake this week, underlining the security problems that have hampered efforts to get emergency relief to remote mountainous regions.

Iran confirmed today that it had received an invitation from the United States to take part this week in talks on the Syrian conflict but left open the possibility of it attending.

Beijing summoned the US ambassador to China to express its "strong discontent" after a US naval destroyer sailed close to islets occupied by China but claimed by the Philippines, state media reported.

Pascal Affi N'Guessan, who finished second in last weekend's Ivory Coast presidential election, today accepted his defeat by incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, helping turn the page on a 2011 civil war and years of political turmoil.

The Syrian presidency said today political initiatives could not work in Syria before terrorism had been wiped out, sticking by its long-held position on how to end the war after its Russian allies called for new elections.

The Taliban encouraged aid groups to help victims of the massive earthquake in northern Afghanistan and Pakistan as rescuers struggled to form a clear picture of the damage caused by the disaster as the death toll passed 300.

Swiss food giant Nestle has resumed the manufacture of its Maggi brand instant noodles in India and plans to be back on the market by November, company officials said today.

A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed close to China's man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday, drawing an angry rebuke from Beijing, which said its warships tracked and warned the American vessel.

An Israeli minister was accused today of adding fuel to the fire over a disputed Jerusalem holy site after she said she wished to see the Israeli flag raised over it.

The president of the Maldives has appealed for calm in the wake of the arrest of his deputy on suspicion of links to what authorities call an assassination attempt and says the decision was made in the best interests of the country.

A former TV comedian with no experience in government is poised to win Guatemala's presidential election on Sunday after a corruption scandal toppled the country's last leader and fueled voter outrage with the political establishment.

About 250 South Koreans crossed into the North Saturday to meet long-lost relatives, in the second round of current reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 civil war.

Russia has called for elections in Syria as part of a political solution to the conflict, and the top diplomats from Moscow and Washington on Saturday discussed the organization of a political process in the war-torn country.

Israeli and Jordanian leaders have agreed on steps to reduce tensions at a holy site in Jerusalem that is sacred to both Muslims and Jews, and has been at the centre of renewed violence in the Middle East, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturd

At least 12 Islamic State fanatics have been killed in Russia's first air strikes on the extremist faction's main Syrian bastion.

Kuala Lumpur (dpa) - Malaysia will take in 3,000 Syrian refugees in the next three years as its share in alleviating the current refugee crisis, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Friday.

Wellington (dpa) - New Zealand Prime Minister John Key launched an attack on the UN Security Council on Friday for failing to end the misery in Syria.

New Delhi (dpa) - India pledged to cut the intensity of its carbon emissions over the next 15 years and make its economy more energy efficient as it became the last major country to submit targets for a global climate pact.

Washington (dpa) - Hurricane Joaquin, now an "extremely dangerous" category 4 storm packing sustained winds of 215 kilometres per hour, was hitting the central Bahamas with torrential rain and flooding Thursday, according to the US National

Colombo (dpa) - Maldives is seeking international assistance to investigate an explosion on a boat carrying the president and his wife Monday.

Moscow (dpa) - Addresses by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama were set to take centre stage at the United Nations on Monday.

Tokyo/Taipei (dpa) - A powerful typhoon hit Taiwan and south-western Japanese islands Monday, leaving thousands of families without electricity and water supply, local media reported.

Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta (dpa) - Malaysia suspended classes in schools in the capital and surrounding areas Monday as haze triggered by Indonesian forest and plantation fires worsened.