Reuters, London
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday dismissed an account of a difficult meeting between her and the head of the European Commission as “Brussels gossip”, reiterating that the meeting had gone well.
But while May played down friction with the EU, it came after a weekend that saw the EU-27 adopt a united stance on Brexit and urge Britain to be more realistic in its approach, suggesting that tough negotiations are in store.
China welcomes ASEAN summit declaration
Reuters, Beijing
China on Tuesday welcomed a softer stand taken by Southeast Asian countries on the disputed South China Sea at a weekend summit, saying it showed efforts to ease tension were working.
The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) dropped references to “land reclamation and militarization” from its chairman’s statement this year at the end of its summit in the Philippine capital, Manila.
Taliban attack in north kills 5 Afghan cops
AP, Kabul
An Afghan official says a Taliban attack in a northern province has killed five policemen and wounded four.
Javwd Dedar, spokesman for the provincial governor, says the assault happened late on Monday in the district of Ghormach in Faryab province. He says the Taliban briefly overrun much of the district but that security forces recaptured lost ground after a short while amid heavy fighting with the insurgents.
Pakistan repulses militant attack
AP, Islamabad
Pakistani soldiers and the Taliban exchanged intense fire in a restive tribal region along the border with Afghanistan, with each side claiming to have inflicted severe damages on the other.
The army said it repelled an attack by militants who sneaked across the border from Afghanistan and targeted two Pakistani checkpoints in the South Waziristan tribal region, where the military has been conducting operations since mid-2014 to rout militants from the area.
