Reuters, Tehran
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Iran on Wednesday to meet with top leaders as tension between Tehran and Washington mounts over a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers.
State TV reported that Putin would discuss issues with Iranian officials including regional crises such as the Syrian conflict, the nuclear deal and economic and bilateral ties.
Tense standoff at Australia asylum-seeker camp
AFP, Sydney
Hundreds of fearful refugees were urged to leave an Australian detention camp in Papua New Guinea Wednesday as conditions worsened with power and water cut off in a tense standoff.
Canberra agreed to close its Manus Island facility by the end of October after the PNG Supreme Court ruled that holding people there was unconstitutional.
India transformer blast death toll rises to 14
Xinhua, New Delhi
The death toll in a transformer explosion in India’s western state of Rajasthan rose to 14, officials said Wednesday.
Seven people are undergoing treatment at hospital.
Airstrike kills 4 militants in Afghanistan
Xinhua, Kunduz
Air raids against Taliban militants in Chardara district of Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province left four insurgents dead on the spot and injured a few others on Wednesday, an army spokesman in the province, Ghulam Hazrat Karimi, said.
“Acting upon intelligence report, the security forces conducted airstrikes against Taliban hideout in Nawabad area of Chardara district today morning, killing four rebels on the spot and injuring a few others,” Karimi told Xinhua.
Air strike kills 29 in north Yemen
AFP, Sanaa
An air strike killed 29 people and wounded 17 others in northern Yemen on Wednesday, the Huthi rebel health service said.
The Huthi-run Saba news agency accused the Saudi-led coalition fighting in support of the government of carrying out the raid in the Sahar district. It reported a toll of 21 killed and nine wounded, all of them civilians. Air strike kills 29 in north Yemen: rebel health office.
China mulls three years’ jail for anthem disrespect
AFP, Beijing
Disrespecting China’s national anthem could carry a prison sentence of up to three years under a new draft law amendment, which may also affect Hong Kong and Macau, state media reported Tuesday.
It was unclear if the maximum penalty would apply in the two semi-autonomous southern cities.
But any move to punish anthem insults could trigger a backlash in Hong Kong, which enjoys rights and freedoms not seen on the mainland under a “One country, two systems” formula.
