LONDON (AFP) - British Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday he had little confidence in promises made by Syria to Russia over the violent crackdown by the regime in Damascus.

TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese airline Skymark on Wednesday said it would order six Airbus A330-300 planes, for expected delivery from 2014, as it seeks to add extra domestic and international routes to its network.

PARIS (AFP) - President Bashar al-Assad's promises to Russia to work towards ending bloodshed in Syria were merely manipulation and should not be believed, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Wednesday.

MALE (AFP) - Several thousand supporters of former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed clashed with police and troops in riot gear Wednesday, a day after his resignation which he blamed on a coup d'etat.

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday condemned outside intervention in the Syrian conflict, warning against "behaving like a bull in a china shop."