Thai king orders history-themed festival paying homage to past monarchs
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has ordered a history-themed festival for the public, a government spokesman said on Monday, as the Southeast Asian nation emerges from a year of mourning for his revered father.
Germany’s conservatives, SPD want tax relief for high earners: source
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) want to raise the bar for a top income tax rate for high earners to an annual income of 60,000 euros, a source with knowledge of their coalition talks said on Monday.
Pension crisis looms as Afghanistan grapples to fix public finances
KABUL (Reuters) – In a country not short of problems, a looming pensions crisis that could cripple Afghanistan’s budget in coming years is a new headache for a government dependent on increasingly war-weary foreign donors.
Taiwan calls China’s new aviation routes in Taiwan Strait irresponsible
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s government has called China’s recent unilateral expansion of civil aviation routes in the Taiwan Strait an irresponsible act that threatens regional security, in the latest row between Beijing and the self-ruled island.
Rival airlines Emirates, Etihad agree to share info, intelligence
DUBAI (Reuters) – Emirates and Etihad Airways signed a deal on Monday to share information and intelligence, the first agreement between the two rival airlines based in the United Arab Emirates.
India sparks outcry over press freedom by naming reporter in probe on database breach
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The Indian government named a reporter in a police complaint after she wrote an article alleging a data breach in a federal identity database, drawing criticism from a journalist group that accused officials of trying to muzzle fr…
Macron seeks to woo China’s Xi with ‘horse diplomacy’
XIAN, China (Reuters) – Never let it be said diplomacy amounts to more than horse-trading.
Rescue crews struggle to tame China oil tanker fire; crew still missing
BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) – Rescue crews scrambled to bring a blaze on an Iranian oil tanker off China’s east coast under control on Monday as fire raged for a second day following a collision with a grain ship, while the U.S. Navy joined the search for …
Philippines VP derides ‘self-serving’ idea to cancel polls, extend terms
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines’ vice president has joined a chorus of opposition to a possible cancellation of mid-term elections and extensions to terms in office, including that of the president, amid a renewed push for a shift to federalism.
Vietnam starts high-profile trial over oil firm losses
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam began the trial on Monday of 22 executives charged over losses totaling hundreds of millions of dollars at the state oil firm, PetroVietnam, with the most serious offences potentially carrying the death penalty.
