Iraqi Kurds shrug off threats to stage independence referendum
ERBIL/SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) – Voting began in northern Iraq on Monday in an independence referendum organized by Kurdish authorities, ignoring pressure from Baghdad, threats from neighboring Turkey and Iran, and international warnings it may igni…
Rap and the Party: China taps youth culture to hook millennial cadres
BEIJING (Reuters) – In his baseball cap and baggy yellow t-shirt, the rap star Li Yijie – better known by his stage name “Pissy” – is an unlikely face of China’s strait-laced ruling Communist Party.
Japan PM to dissolve parliament’s lower house on Thursday
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to dissolve the lower house of parliament at the start of the extraordinary session on Thursday, a senior lawmaker of the Liberal Democratic Party said, paving the way for a snap election for t…
French unions block fuel depots in protest against labor reforms
PARIS (Reuters) – French trade unionists blocked access on Monday to several fuel depots in protest against an overhaul of employment laws, seeking to test the government’s will to reform the economy.
One week to cross a street: how IS pinned down Filipino soldiers in Marawi
MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) – With a grimace, Brigadier General Melquiades Ordiales of the Philippines 1st Marine Brigade recounted the painful gains made against Islamist militants in Marawi City.
Iraqi Kurds vote in historic independence referendum, shrugging off threats
ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Voting started on Monday in an independence referendum organized by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, ignoring the threats of the Kurds’ neighbors and fears of further instability and violence across the …
New Zealand opposition Labour looks to nationalist ‘kingmaker’ to form govt
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand’s opposition Labour leader Jacinda Ardern said on Monday she would seek to form a coalition government with the country’s small nationalist party after it was left holding the balance of power following Saturday’s ind…
Cambodia’s opposition puts out banners calling for leader’s release
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodia’s main opposition party on Monday put up banners around the country calling for the release of its detained leader Kem Sokha in a challenge to the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, which has accused him of treason.
Chastened Merkel braces for coalition tussle after vote
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Angela Merkel turns to the task of sounding out partners to build a coalition government after securing a fourth term as chancellor in Sunday’s election, although she has been weakened by a surge in support for the far righ…
Chinese graft suspect returns from U.S. to surrender
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Chinese corruption suspect who was on the country’s list of 100 most wanted overseas fugitives has returned to China from the United States after giving himself up, the country’s anti-graft watchdog said on Monday.
