The Philippines

Talks canceled after attack

Manila on Wednesday canceled talks with rebels due on the weekend in the Netherlands after guerrillas attacked a convoy of President Rodrigo Duterte's security men, killing a paramilitary guard and wounding six. Duterte was not in the area on the southern island of Mindanao when the clash between the presidential guards and New People's Army rebels erupted early on Wednesday.

Turkey

PM announces Cabinet reshuffle

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced a Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, replacing or swapping 11 ministers in the 27-member Cabinet, including the ministers for justice and defense. The announcement came after an unscheduled meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier that day at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.

Peru

Stamps to mark China relations

Peru on Tuesday issued two new series of stamps and postmarks to celebrate its long-standing ties with China. The first series features images of Beijing's Temple of Heaven and Peru's Inca city of Machu Picchu, along with the words "Youyi" and "Khumpa", which mean friendship in Chinese and Quechua respectively. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1971. Today, Peruvians of Chinese descent constitute an estimated 4 to 5 percent of the population.

Spain

Francis Bacon works recovered

Spain's National Police said agents have recovered three of five prized paintings by the artist Francis Bacon that were stolen from a Madrid apartment in July 2015. The market value of the five artworks was estimated to be above $27.8 million. Police arrested seven suspects linked to the theft last year and three more in January this year. No details were available immediately, a police spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

United Kingdom

Huge salary gap between BBC stars

The BBC revealed a yawning gap between the pay of its top male and female stars on Wednesday when the national broadcaster named its highest earners for the first time. The 95-year-old corporation said Chris Evans, the radio and TV presenter who hosted Top Gear for one series, was top of the list, taking home up to 2.25 million pounds ($3.3 million) in 2016/17. In contrast, the highest paid woman was entertainment presenter Claudia Winkleman, who earned less than 500,000 pounds for her work on Strictly Come Dancing and other shows.

Japan

Underwater robot probes reactor

An underwater robot has captured images and other data inside the country's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant on its first day of work. The robot is on a mission to study damage and find fuel that experts say has melted and mostly fallen to the bottom of a chamber and has been submerged by highly radioactive water.