Asylum seekers win $53 million detention settlement from Australian government
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Nearly 2,000 asylum seekers held in a remote detention center in Papua New Guinea for more than two years will receive A$70 million ($53 million) in compensation after the Australian government agreed to settle their court case on We…
Singapore leader’s siblings say they feel threatened, have lost confidence in him
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s younger brother and sister said on Wednesday that they have lost confidence in the nation’s leader and fear “the use of the organs of the state against us.”
Workers exploited at Russia’s 2018 World Cup venues, Human Rights Watch says
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday said it had documented cases where workers building venues for Russia’s 2018 soccer World Cup had been left unpaid, made to work in dangerously cold conditions, or suffered reprisals for raising …
Fire engulfs London tower block, at least 12 dead, dozens injured
LONDON (Reuters) – A blaze engulfed a 24-story housing block in central London on Wednesday, trapping residents as they slept and killing at least 12 people in an inferno that the fire brigade said was unprecedented in its scale and speed.
Hong Kong’s top court upholds property tycoon’s graft conviction
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s top court on Wednesday upheld a corruption conviction against a billionaire property tycoon, putting an end to one of the most high-profile corruption cases in the history of the Asian financial hub.
Landslide, floods kill 156 in Bangladesh, India; toll could rise
DHAKA/GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) – Heavy rains have triggered a series of landslides and floods in Bangladesh and neighbouring northeast India, killing at least 156 people over two days, and officials warned on Wednesday the toll could rise.
Venezuelan journalists ‘broadcast’ live on buses to reach new viewers
CARACAS (Reuters) – Riding public transport armed with a wobbly TV-shaped cardboard frame and loud voices, a group of young Venezuelan activists have found a novel way to transmit news, in a country where space has shrunk for stories about hardship and…
China says will investigate reports Chinese pair abducted in Pakistan were missionaries
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Foreign Ministry said they will work with the Pakistan government to investigate reports the two Chinese nationals abducted by the Islamic State in Quetta were missionaries.
Anti-Maduro chants ring at Venezuela soccer heroes’ welcome
CARACAS (Reuters) – Thousands of soccer fans repeatedly chanted against President Nicolas Maduro’s government during a homage in a stadium on Tuesday to Venezuela’s youth team who were runners up in a World Cup final.
Trump gives U.S. military authority to set Afghan troop levels: U.S. official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump has given Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the authority to set troop levels in Afghanistan, a U.S. official told Reuters on Tuesday, opening the door for future troop increases requested by the U.S. comma…
