The Independent
Vladimir Putin has hailed the “efficient and close” relationship between Russia and Turkey’s militaries, as he hosted Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks about Syria.
Relations between the countries – which back opposing sides Syria’s ongoing war – have been tumultuous. Ties became strained in 2015 after Turkey’s military shot down a Russian warplane near the country’s border with Syria.
Snowden shelterers in HK seek Canada asylum
Reuters, Toronto
Three families who helped shelter former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden in Hong Kong in 2013 after his mass leak of information about surveillance programs have asked Canada for asylum, their lawyer said on Friday.
The families – three Sri Lankan adults, a Filipina, and three stateless children – have had long-pending asylum claims in Hong Kong that they fear may soon be rejected, lawyer Marc-Andre Seguin said in a phone interview from Hong Kong.
Sharif seeks clerics’ help to fight militants
AP, Islamabad
Pakistan’s prime minister is seeking help from the country’s clerics to fight extremism.
Nawaz Sharif, in a speech at a seminary on Saturday, called on religious scholars to help him dismantle a “narrative” characterized by militants killing thousands of people over the last decade in hopes of overthrowing the government and enforcing Taliban-style laws in Pakistan.
Malaysia, N Korea to hold talks
Reuters, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia’s foreign minister said the country will begin formal talks with North Korea in the coming days on the return of nine Malaysians from Pyongyang after they were banned from leaving the country amid diplomatic tensions over the killing of the North Korean leader’s half-brother.
Anifah Aman said North Korea had indicated they were ready to start negotiations.
“They want to start talking. We do not know what their demands are – we need to figure out what we can do to get the best result,” he told reporters on Saturday.
