11 Feb 2019; AFP: Skiers descend in long, rhythmic swoops down pristine white slopes in northern Pakistan, braking in a spray of snow as soldiers carrying semi-automatic weapons watch impassively.

Dozens of athletes took part at a rare international competition in the South Asian country, which boasts some of the world's highest mountains but remains off-piste for most winter sports enthusiasts after years of conflict and a lack of infrastructure.

11 Feb 2019; AA: South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday expressed hope that an upcoming summit meeting between the U.S. and North Korea leaders would bring peace to the Korean Peninsula.

"[The summit] will become a critical turning point for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and peacemaking process," Korean news agency Yonhap quoted Moon as telling a meeting with presidential secretaries and aides.

Shillong, Feb 11 : Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar and former Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh on Monday appeared before the CBI here for questioning in connection with investigations in chit fund cases.

This is the third day of grilling for Kumar and the second for Ghosh.

Ghosh arrived at the CBI office here shortly after 10 am while Kumar reached an hour later, an official told PTI.

On Sunday, the probe agency questioned Kumar separately and also along with Ghosh. The marathon questioning of the two lasted over eight hours, he said.

New Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday joined Twitter and garnered a massive response with tens of thousands following her on the social media platform within hours.

Her logging on to Twitter with the account @priyankagandhi came on the day of her maiden visit to Uttar Pradesh as an AICC general secretary.

"Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is now on Twitter. You may follow her at @priyankagandhi," a tweet from the Congress' official Twitter handle said.

10 Feb 2019; AFP: Ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared he will seek a fifth term in April elections in a message published by state media Sunday, after he was endorsed by his party and the ruling coalition.

The 81-year-old head of state uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.

ISTANBUL; 11 Feb 2019; AA: Swiss food company Nestle exports its products to the world from Turkey, said head of marketing and corporate communications at Nestle Turkey.

The company, which has four factories in Turkey, entered the domestic market in 1875 with baby formula.

Now it manufactures over 800 products in 12 categories, Zeynep Sungu told Anadolu Agency.

DENVER (AP) — Teachers in Colorado’s capital are planning to strike Monday for the first time in 25 years after failed negotiations with the school district over base pay.

The teachers union and Denver Public Schools met Saturday in an attempt to reach a new contract after more than a year of negotiations, but both sides left disappointed.

The Denver Classroom Teachers Association released a statement after the meeting saying the district’s proposal lacks transparency and “pushes for failed incentives for some over meaningful base salary for all.”

New Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) The Supreme Court Monday refused to monitor the ongoing CBI investigation into the Saradha chit fund scam in West Bengal.

A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna did not allow the application filed by some investors that despite the apex court's 2013 order directing the CBI to probe the chit fund scam, the investigation has not attained finality.

"We are not inclined to set up a monitoring committee to monitor the chit fund scam probe," the bench said.

KANPUR: A little dispute led to firing in the JK Colony II of Chakeri area on Monday afternoon. Police seized the licensed gun of the retired Daroga and began an initial investigation. Neighbours were also contacted for further information in regard to the dispute.

ANKARA; 10 Feb 2019; AA: Saudi Arabia’s efforts to cover up the case of slain journalist Khashoggi case further unraveled this week, according to The New York Times.

The latest demands for a reckoning “have come from American intelligence agencies, a United Nations investigator and a coalition of nongovernmental organizations, sources that in their diversity and breadth should serve notice on [Saudi Crown] Prince Mohammed [bin Salman] that all his oil wealth and powerful friends

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Thursday continued its diplomatic maneuver around Venezuela amid mixed international opinions over the legitimacy of Venezuela's self-claimed interim president Juan Guaido, who is the South American country's opposition leader.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Mission of China to the European Union (EU) on Saturday denied groundless allegations about Chinese espionage in Brussels.

Responding to reports by Germany media that a large number of Chinese spies are active in Brussels, a spokesperson of the Chinese mission said the Chinese side is "deeply shocked by such unfounded reports."

"China always respects the sovereignty of all countries, and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries," the spokesperson said in a statement.