Peace gives Colombian coffee an extra shot
SAN CARLOS, Colombia (Reuters) – Farmers who fled war in the Colombian Andes are returning to revive their abandoned land, cultivating coffee trees that are boosting global supplies of the highest-quality beans.
Turkish police detain leading civil society figure: media
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish police have detained the prominent civil society figure and businessman Osman Kavala at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport as part of a secret investigation, the T24 news website and other media said on Thursday.
Philippines says ‘big possibility’ Malaysian militant leader killed
MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) – The Philippine military said on Thursday there was a “big possibility” that a top Malaysian militant tipped to become Islamic State’s point man in Southeast Asia has been killed in an overnight battle.
Fire destroys landmark hotel in Myanmar’s largest city
YANGON (Reuters) – One person was injured in a massive fire that destroyed one of Yangon’s best-known hotels on Thursday, sending clouds of dark smoke billowing over the center of Myanmar’s largest city and triggering an hours-long battle to put out th…
Philippines says ‘big possibility’ key Malaysian militant killed in Marawi
MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) – The Philippine military said on Thursday there was a “big possibility” that top Malaysian operative Mahmud Ahmad was killed in a battle overnight in Marawi City, during which 13 rebels were killed.
China suggests Xi’s political ideology to be elevated in party constitution
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese officials on Thursday heaped praise on President Xi Jinping’s political ideology, unveiled a day earlier at a key Communist Party Congress, a sign that it could be enshrined in the party’s constitution and further cement his…
Colombia’s FARC say six ex-members murdered in restive province
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Armed gunmen this week killed six former fighters from Colombia’s FARC rebels, the now-demobilized group said, reiterating its fears about attacks targeting former guerrillas.
Kurdistan never intended to engage in war with Iraq, foreign minister says
CAIRO (Reuters) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) never intended to engage in a war with the Iraqi army, Kurdish foreign minister Falah Mustafa Bakir told broadcaster CNN in an interview.
Thailand’s Buddhist monks order reforms ahead of royal transition
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Under growing pressure from Thailand’s military government, and their own religious bodies, Buddhist monks have launched a fresh round of reforms in recent weeks to clean up temples and overhaul a religion stalked by scandal.
Australian senate rejects proposed visa, citizenship curbs
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s lawmakers have rejected legislation that would tighten citizenship and foreign worker visa rules, a blow to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull who had sought to stop a loss of his support base to far-right political parties….
