U.N. urges Venezuela’s Maduro to uphold rule of law
GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations on Friday criticized President Nicolas Maduro’s government for curtailing the powers of the chief state prosecutor and called on it to uphold the rule of law and freedom of assembly in Venezuela amid a clampdown on…
Singapore armed forces going more hi-tech as recruiting levels seen sliding
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A growing threat of terrorism is putting a strain on Singapore’s small and shrinking army, pushing it toward greater reliance on automation and technology such as unmanned patrol systems to protect the island state, its defense mi…
Demand for Qatar to close down al-Jazeera ‘unacceptable’: U.N.
GENEVA (Reuters) – A demand by Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations for Qatar to close down its al-Jazeera TV channel is an “unacceptable attack” on the right to freedoms of expression and opinion, the United Nations human rights chief said on Fri…
India warns China over road construction near border amid stand-off
NEW DELHI/BEIJING (Reuters) – India warned China on Friday that construction of a road near their common border would have serious security implications, as China’s Foreign Ministry denied its troops had violated the territory of India’s ally, Bhutan.
Despite hacking charges, U.S. tech industry fought to keep ties to Russia spy service
(Editors note: Attention to language in paragraph 22 that may be offensive to some readers.)
French Holocaust survivor and pro-abortion campaigner Simone Veil dies at 89
PARIS (Reuters) – French politician Simone Veil, who survived the Holocaust and led campaigns for the legalization of abortion in France in the 1970s, died at her home in Paris on Friday, her family said. She was 89 years old.
More than 2,000 workers flee Thailand after labor crackdown
BANGKOK (Reuters) – More than 2,000 undocumented migrant workers from Myanmar and Cambodia fled from Thailand this week, officials said on Friday, after a decree aimed at managing foreign workers came into effect.
Iraqi forces close in on IS redoubt in Mosul after declaring end of caliphate
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – U.S.-backed Iraqi forces attacked Islamic State’s remaining redoubt in Mosul’s Old City on Friday, a day after hailing the end of the insurgents’ self-declared caliphate with the capture of an historic mosque that symbolized the…
New conflicts threaten Syria after Islamic State defeat
RAQQA, Syria/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sheen Ibrahim’s track record fighting ultra-hardline militants explains U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy of arming Syrian Kurds like her as he seeks to eradicate Islamic State. It also highlights the risks.
‘Sing the motherland’: China tightens rules for online content
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China laid out rules on Friday for online content from television dramas to cartoons and “micromovies”, formalizing and tightening the steps censors should take when vetting material under a tough crackdown across media and enterta…
