Israel raises threshold to cede parts of Jerusalem in peace deal
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel set a higher threshold on Tuesday for any future vote on ceding parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinians, who want the eastern part of the city for a future independent state.
Iran re-opens border crossings with Iraqi Kurdistan region
LONDON (Reuters) – Iran re-opened two crossings with the Iraqi Kurdistan region on Tuesday that it had closed after a referendum in favor of independence in the Kurdish area, Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency reported.
China names acting mayor for city of Tianjin after bribery scandal
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has named an acting mayor for northern city of Tianjin, state media said on Tuesday, months after the mayor was jailed for corruption.
Australian investigators to raise seaplane in which Compass Group CEO, family killed
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s transport safety investigation agency said on Tuesday it plans to raise a seaplane that crashed into a Sydney river on New Year’s Eve, killing six people, including the chief executive of British catering giant Compass Gr…
South Korea’s Moon says better inter-Korean relations linked to resolving North Korea nuclear issue
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday the improvement of inter-Korean relations was linked to resolving North Korea’s nuclear program, a day after the North offered talks with Seoul but was steadfast on its nuclear ambiti…
German parties at odds ahead of coalition talks
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and Social Democrats (SPD) traded barbs about migration and tax cuts on Tuesday amid mounting questions about whether they can agree to renew the “grand coalition” that ruled Germany for the p…
Fugitive Vietnamese businessman detained in Singapore, lawyers say
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A real estate developer wanted by Vietnamese authorities amid a crackdown on corruption has been detained in Singapore, lawyers representing him said on Tuesday.
Venezuela says soldier arrested for killing pregnant woman in line for pork
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan authorities arrested a National Guard soldier over the weekend and accused him of shooting a pregnant 18 year-old during an incident that local media described as a melee over scarce pork.
Nine dead in latest outbreak of Brazilian prison violence
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Nine inmates were killed, 14 were injured, and dozens escaped in a prison riot on Monday, national news media reported, in the latest example of Brazil’s continuing difficulties maintaining control over its notoriously violent pen…
North Korea’s Kim ‘open to dialogue’ with South Korea, will only use nukes if threatened
SEOUL (Reuters) – Kim Jong Un warned the United States on Monday he had a “nuclear button” on his desk ready for use if North Korea was threatened, but offered an olive branch to South Korea, saying he was “open to dialogue” with Seoul.
