Little prospect of Syria peace progress seen in Geneva talks
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A breakthrough in U.N.-backed Syria peace talks in Geneva this week seems hardly more likely than in seven failed earlier rounds as President Bashar al-Assad pushes for total military victory and his opponents stick by their demand h…
Little prospect of Syria peace progress in Geneva talks
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A breakthrough in U.N.-backed Syria peace talks in Geneva this week seems no more likely than in seven earlier rounds as President Bashar al-Assad pushes for total military victory and his opponents stick by their demand he leave pow…
Merkel presses cautious SPD over joining new German coalition
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel piled pressure on Monday on the Social Democrats (SPD) to rejoin a “grand coalition” with her conservatives, arguing that the European Union and the wider world urgently needed a stable German government in p…
Eight bodies found in boat washed up on Japan beach: coast guard
TOKYO (Reuters) – Eight bodies, which had been reduced partly to skeletons, were found on Monday in a small wooden ship that washed up on a beach in the sea of Japan, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) said.
Bahrain’s top Shi’ite cleric’s health deteriorates: activists
DUBAI (Reuters) – The health of Bahrain’s top Shi’ite Muslim cleric has deteriorated, activists said on Monday, after months under virtual house arrest following a government decision to revoke his citizenship.
Pope meets Myanmar’s military chief in shadow of Rohingya crisis
YANGON (Reuters) – Pope Francis held talks on Monday with Myanmar’s military chief at the start of a delicate visit to a majority-Buddhist country that the United States has accused of “ethnic cleansing” against its Muslim Rohingya people.
Ousted Hong Kong lawmakers ordered to pay hefty expense bills
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Four Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers who were ousted from the legislature this year condemned on Monday as “political persecution” a demand that they pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses.
Indonesia orders immediate evacuation as highest alert issued for Bali volcano
DENPASAR, Indonesia (Reuters) – Indonesia closed the airport on the tourist island of Bali on Monday and ordered 100,000 residents living near a grumbling volcano spewing columns of ash to evacuate immediately, warning that the first major eruption in …
Chechen leader, amid reshuffles, says ready to die for Putin
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Russia’s Chechnya, said he was ready to die for Vladimir Putin and stand down, if ordered, ahead of a federal presidential election next year which has triggered personnel reshuffles that have put some politic…
Australian police cut chains from immigration protesters at PM’s residence
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian police on Monday used metal cutters to remove five protesters who had chained themselves to the gate of the prime minister’s official residence over the treatment of asylum seekers detained in Papua New Guinea.
