At least 53 killed in Russia shopping mall fire
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said on Monday that at least 53 people had been killed in a fire in a shopping mall in the Siberian city of Kemerovo.
Japan’s Akie Abe ‘First Lady’ role now puts her in scandal’s spotlight
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s first lady, Akie Abe, once known mainly for embracing progressive causes that put her at odds with her conservative spouse, is now in the hot seat as doubts revive about a murky land sale to a nationalist school to which she h…
Malaysia proposes up to 10 years’ jail, fines for publishers of ‘fake news’
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government tabled a bill in parliament on Monday outlawing “fake news”, with hefty fines and up to 10 years in jail, raising more concerns about media freedom in the wake of a multi-billio…
Australian PM under pressure after government loses 29th straight opinion poll
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s coalition government lost its 29th straight Newspoll on Monday, putting the Australian leader in an increasingly precarious position as his party attempts to push planned corporate tax cuts through p…
Poll shows most French oppose arms sales to Saudi-led Yemen coalition
PARIS (Reuters) – Seventy-five percent of French people want President Emmanuel Macron to suspend arms’ exports to countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, involved in the Yemeni war, a YouGov poll showed on Monday.
Thai drag queens hope new TV show brings LGBT acceptance
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Before his shows at a jazz club in Bangkok, Pan Pan Narkprasert, 29, slathers layers of makeup on his face, emerging after two hours transformed into Pangina Heals, a larger-than-life, purple-lipped lady with a mass of blonde hair.
Saudi Arabia shoots down missiles from Yemen; one dead from debris
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi air defenses shot down seven ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi militia on Sunday, with debris killing a man in what was the first death in the capital during the Saudi-led coalition’s three-year military campaign in Ye…
EU leaders host Turkish President Erdogan for uneasy summit
VARNA, Bulgaria (Reuters) – The European Union holds an uneasy summit with Turkey on Monday, when it is likely to provide Ankara with fresh cash to extend a deal on Syrian refugees but deflect Turkish demands for deeper trade ties and visa-free travel …
Bolton as U.S. security adviser ‘shameful’: Iran official
DUBAI (Reuters) – A senior Iranian official said on Sunday it was “shameful” that U.S. President Donald Trump had named John Bolton as national security adviser because of his ties with rebels whom Iran sees as “terrorists”, the state news agency IRNA …
Syrian rebels Jaish al-Islam refuse to leave Ghouta: spokesman
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Jaish al-Islam, the last rebel faction in control of territory in eastern Ghouta, said on Sunday it would not withdraw to other opposition-held parts of Syria as other rebel groups have done under deals negotiated with Syrian governm…
