Xi Jinping’s latest tag: living Buddhist deity, Chinese official says
BEIJING (Reuters) – President of China, head of its Communist Party, commander-in-chief of the military and now living Buddhist deity – Xi Jinping has added another title to his growing collection, at least in the eyes of some ethnic Tibetans.
Tepco’s ‘ice wall’ fails to freeze Fukushima’s toxic water buildup
OKUMA, Japan (Reuters) – A costly “ice wall” is failing to keep groundwater from seeping into the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, data from operator Tokyo Electric Power Co shows, preventing it from removing radioactive melted fuel at the si…
Indonesia to hand over luxury yacht to U.S. amid 1MDB probe
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia is making preparations to hand over a luxury yacht seized in Bali last month to U.S. authorities targeting assets allegedly bought with money siphoned off from a Malaysian state fund, a police official said on Thursday.
Pro-Damascus commander says eastern Ghouta effectively sliced in two
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian army has effectively sliced rebel-held eastern Ghouta in two as forces advancing from the east are poised to link up with troops at the enclave’s western edge, a pro-Damascus military commander said on Thursday.
Japan opposition turns up heat on Abe over cronyism scandal
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese opposition parties turned up the heat on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday over a cronyism scandal that threatens to erode his influence, after documents released by a ministry failed to banish suspicion that some had bee…
Mexican leftist leads by 13.6 point in presidency race: opinion poll
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador leads by 13.6 percentage points in the run-up to Mexico’s July 1 presidential election and has an even bigger advantage over the ruling party candidate, a voter survey by polling firm Ipsos sh…
Mexico says progress needed before president meets Trump
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – White House advisor Jared Kushner left Mexico City on Wednesday with prospects no nearer for a summit between his father-in-law President Donald Trump and Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto, as both sides said progress on joi…
Curfew in Sri Lankan tourist town of Kandy to be temporarily lifted
KANDY, Sri Lanka (Reuters) – A curfew in the Sri Lankan town of Kandy will be temporarily lifted on Thursday, authorities said, following days of violence against members of the minority Muslim community by Buddhists.
South Korea vows tougher laws on sexual abuse amid #MeToo wave
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea vowed on Thursday to strengthen laws against sexual assault and implement measures to reduce harassment as the #MeToo campaign sweeps the country and sparks calls for meaningful action to tackle sexual abuse.
Malaysia says MH370 report to be released after latest search ends
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – The full investigation report into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will be released after the latest search efforts are completed, officials said on Thursday, four years after the aircraft first went missing…
