Laos

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said Sept. 28 that he will soon end joint military exercises with the United States, a move that could further dampen relations with Manila's longtime ally after the controversial leader branded U.S. President Barack Obama a "son of a whore."

Recently inaugurated Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte is “expressing regret” for his comments at a fiery press conference, in which he called President Obama a “son of a whore” and threatened to swear at him in a planned bilateral meeting.
Duterte, said in a statement through his spokesman that he regretted “it came across as a personal attack on the US President”.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed regret yesterday that a tirade against Barack Obama, in which he called the U.S. leader a "son of a whore," came across as a personal attack.

Longtime allies the United States and the Philippines have seen relations plunge under a barrage of insults from Duterte since he came to office on June 30.

Greece ranked 29th among the best countries in the world for visiting, according to the readers of British newspaper Telegraph.

It is also chosen as the second most popular tourist destination in Mediterranean by British travelers.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu is scheduled to pay a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia later this week, the prime ministry office announced on Jan. 25, amid ambiguity surrounding the fate of talks aimed at ending Syrian's five-year war.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he hoped for "clarity" within 24 to 48 hours on Syrian peace talks that were supposed to have started in Geneva on Jan. 25, and that it was better to delay a few days than to have them crumble at the start.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavu?o?lu has spoken with counterparts from France and the United States ahead of U.N.-led peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition that are slated for the near future in Geneva.

Iraq has extended a ban on imports of frozen and live poultry products to cover two dozen countries, including China and South Africa, the government said on Jan. 10.

Baghdad last month restricted poultry imports from France, where an outbreak of avian flu has been reported. 

Gift-giving Santa Claus has come to signify indulgence. Known also as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or just plain Santa, there’s more Greek to him than most people know.

Southeast Asian nations were at loggerheads on August 6 over a joint statement on tensions in the South China Sea, with Beijing's allies opposing strong criticism of its land-reclamation activities, diplomats said.