Worries about Malaysia’s ‘Arabisation’ grow as Saudi ties strengthen
Kuala Lumpur (Reuters) – Malaysia’s growing ties to Saudi Arabia – and its puritan Salafi-Wahhabi Islamic doctrines – are coming under new scrutiny as concerns grow over an erosion of traditional religious practices and culture in the multi-ethnic nation.
Shots fired at DMZ as North Korean soldier defects to South
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean guards fired warning shots across the heavily militarized border with North Korea on Thursday as a soldier from the North defected in thick fog, complicating efforts to ease tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile p…
Kremlin: U.S. arms license for Kiev may trigger new bloodshed in east Ukraine
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The approval by the United States of an export license for Ukraine to buy certain light weapons and small arms from U.S. manufacturers may provoke “hotheads” among Ukrainian nationalists to seek to unleash a new bloodshed in eastern …
Philippine ferry capsizes with 251 on board, four reported dead
MANILA (Reuters) – A Philippine ferry with 251 people on board capsized during bad weather on Thursday off an island near the capital, Manila, a coastguard spokesman said, and media reported four people had been killed and 140 rescued.
Borussia Dortmund bomb suspect to stand trial for attempted murder
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A German-Russian man suspected of detonating three bombs targeting the Borussia Dortmund soccer team bus in April is due to appear in a German court on Thursday, charged with 28 counts of attempted murder.
Dying for a paycheck: the Russian civilians fighting in Syria
ORENBURG, Russia (Reuters) – When Vladimir Kabunin signed up as a private military contractor, he saw a chance to make a wage much higher than any he could earn in his provincial Russian hometown.
South Africa’s Standard Bank urges Ramaphosa to lift economy
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s biggest lender by assets, Standard Bank, urged the newly elected leadership of the ruling ANC party on Thursday to urgently implement sweeping reforms to restore investor confidence and reverse economic decline.
Car plows into pedestrians in Australia’s Melbourne, up to 15 hurt
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – A car plowed into pedestrians at a crowded intersection in the Australian city of Melbourne on Thursday, injuring up to 15 people, police said, adding they had arrested the driver and a second man.
Australia finds wreck of first Allied submarine to sink in World War One
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia has discovered the wreck of its first submarine off the coast of Papua New Guinea, authorities said on Thursday, resolving one of the country’s oldest naval mysteries after more than a century.
U.S. creating ‘sensational hype’ over China’s military modernization: ministry
BEIJING (Reuters) – The United States has created “sensational hype” over China’s military modernization, the defense ministry has said in reaction to a White House report branding China a competitor seeking to challenge U.S. power.
