Syrian opp not in Geneva on the day of peace talks
Geneva: The main Opposition group is staying away from peace talks until they get a response to their demands from the United Nations. A member of the opposition's negotiations team says they are still waiting for response from the UN regarding lifting the sieges on rebel-held areas and an end to Russian and Syrian bombardment.
China executes man for abducting 22 infants
Beijing: China has executed a 69-year-old man who abducted and trafficked 22 infants, state media reported on Friday.
Khomeini’s grandson for exclusion from polls
Tehran: Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the founder of the Islamic republic of Iran, said he would appeal being barred from running in polls for its powerful Assembly of Experts.
4 killed, 18 injured in S Arabia mosque attack
Dubai: A suicide bomb and gun attack on Shia worshippers has killed at least four people in eastern Saudi Arabia, the interior ministry said, extending a spate of attacks on the kingdom’s Shia minority.
Iran says it flew drone over US aircraft carrier
Tehran: Iran flew a surveillance drone over a US aircraft carrier and took "precise" photographs of it as part of an ongoing naval drill, state television reported on Friday.
Terrorism ruled out in gun arrest at Disneyland
Paris: A French prosecutor says terrorism has been ruled out in the arrest of a man who tried to bring two handguns into a hotel at Disneyland Paris.
China Shandong: Miners rescued after 36 days
Beijing: Four Chinese miners who had been trapped underground for 36 days have been rescued, Chinese state media say. The men were trapped by a cave-in at a gypsum mine in eastern Shandong province on 25 December.