Off the wire
• Xi reaffirms China's support for European integration  • 2nd LD-Writethru: Two killed in Taiwan trainer aircraft crash  • Ohio river to remain above flood stage  • Jiaolong concludes Indian Ocean expedition  • Full Text: Premier Li Keqiang Meets the Press (1)  • Full Text: Premier Li Keqiang Meets the Press (5)  • Full Text: Premier Li Keqiang Meets the Press (3)  • Full Text: Premier Li Keqiang Meets the Press (4)  • Ukraine mulls amendment to eastern regions "special status" law  • Full Text: Premier Li Keqiang Meets the Press (7)  
You are here: 　 Home

Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, March 16

Xinhua, March 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has started here a meeting with his visiting Kyrgyz counterpart, Almazbek Atambayev, the RIA Novosti reported Monday.

It was the Russian leader's first public appearance in 10 days. (Russia-Putin)

- - - -

HAVANA -- Cuba began Monday its third round of negotiations to resume diplomatic relations with the United States while ratifying its support for Venezuela, which is under sanctions approved by U.S. President Barack Obama.

The attending delegations, as in previous two meetings, are led by Roberta Jacobson, assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. State Department, and Josefina Vidal, director of Cuba's Foreign Ministry for the United States. (Cuba-US-Venezuela)

- - - -

DAMASCUS -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Monday that his administration awaits actions not only statements by Western powers, responding to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's remarks about "reigniting" negotiations with Damascus, the official SANA news agency reported.

"We are listening to the statements, but we have to wait for the actions and then we can decide," Assad said. (Syria-West-Negotiation)

- - - -

KABUL -- Five people including three civilians lost their lives and five others sustained injuries as a suicide car bomb rocked Taliban former stronghold the southern Helmand province on Monday, spokesman for provincial government Omar Zawak said.

"A terrorist riding in an explosive-borne car blew it up next to a police checkpoint outside provincial capital Lashkar Gah at around 04: 50 p.m. local time today, killing himself and four others including two police and two civilians," Zawak told Xinhua. (Afghanistan-Car Bomb)

- - - -

YANGON -- Myanmar President U Thein Sein and Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Service Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing met separately with a special delegation of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) in Nay Pyi Taw Monday to discuss peace efforts in the country, an official of the Myanmar Peace Center told Xinhua in a telephone interview.

The government's meeting with the KIO, led by its General Secretary Dr. La Ja, came a day ahead of the planned 7th round of ceasefire talks between the government's Union Peace-Making Work Committee (UPWC) and the ethnic armed groups' Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team (NCCT) in Yangon Tuesday to finalize the draft nationwide ceasefire accord. (Myanmar-Kachin Armed Group-Meeting) Endi