Philippine leader says drugs war ‘trivialized’ by human rights concerns
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday promised an unrelenting war on drugs, defying critics who were “trivializing” his campaign with human rights concerns and unjustly blaming the authorities for the bloodshed.
Russia plans to create ‘de-escalation zone’ in Syria’s Idlib province: agencies
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia plans to establish a new “de-escalation zone” in the Syrian province of Idlib, Russian news agencies cited the Russian Defence Ministry as saying on Monday.
Just as German election heats up, Merkel takes holiday break
BERLIN (Reuters) – – With a comfortable lead in opinion polls, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has left the stage for a quiet three-week summer holiday shrouded in secrecy – even though just two months remain before the election.
Saudi crown prince in charge as king heads on holiday
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman left for holiday abroad on Monday and appointed his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to run the affairs of the world’s top oil exporter in his absence, a royal decree said.
Venezuela crisis enters pivotal week, Maduro foes protest
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s opposition plastered election centers with slogans and rallied in honor of dead protesters on Monday in a final week-long push to force President Nicolas Maduro into aborting a controversial congress.
Chainsaw attacker targets insurer in Swiss rampage, still on run
SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland (Reuters) – A chainsaw-wielding loner who mostly lived in the woods stormed into an insurance office in a Swiss town on Monday, wounding two members of staff and three other people before fleeing, police said.
Chinese capital shuts major road during rare protest
BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing police shut down part of a major road on Monday as they dealt with a rare protest in the Chinese capital, with demonstrators gathering to complain the government had unfairly accused a company they say helps the poor of pyra…
Philippines’ Duterte warns miners: ‘I will tax you to death’
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he wanted to stop exporting mineral resources and might close the mining sector completely and tax miners “to death” if damage to the environment persisted.
Suicide bomber in Pakistan’s Lahore kills 25, many of them police
LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – A suicide bomber killed at least 25 people, many of them police, in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Monday, officials said, an attack which shattered a period of relative calm in Pakistan’s second-largest city.
Iran top judge demands U.S. release assets, jailed Iranians
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s top judge called on the United States on Monday to release Iranians held in U.S. jails and billions of dollars in Iranian assets, days after Washington urged Tehran to free three U.S. citizens.
