China tightens rules on online news, network providers
BEIJING (Reuters) – China on Tuesday issued tighter rules for online news portals and network providers, the latest step in President Xi Jinping’s push to secure the internet and maintain strict party control over content.
German official sees promise in expanding Russia-backed Syrian peace talks
BERLIN (Reuters) – Expanding the number of countries involved in Russian-backed peace talks for Syria could offer a chance to jumpstart negotiations on a political solution, Germany’s top official for Russia policy said in an interview published on Tu…
Turkey’s EU dream is over, for now, top official says
VALLETTA (Reuters) – Turkey under President Tayyip Erdogan has turned its back on joining the European Union, at least for now, the bloc’s top official dealing with Ankara said, offering economic cooperation instead if both sides can restore friendly t…
Thai junta leader says Trump told him ties ‘closer than ever’
BANGKOK (Reuters) – The leader of Thailand’s military junta said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump assured him that ties would become “closer than ever before”, marking an abrupt change in stance from the one taken by Washington following the…
China welcomes ASEAN summit declaration on South China Sea
BEIJING (Reuters) – China on Tuesday welcomed a softer stand taken by Southeast Asian countries on the disputed South China Sea at a weekend summit, saying it showed efforts to ease tension were working.
After losing power, Britain’s Osborne starts first day as journalist
LONDON (Reuters) – Carrying a bundle of newspapers, former British finance minister George Osborne turned up on Tuesday to start work as a journalist, following last month’s shock announcement that he would take the reins of London’s main daily paper.
France’s Le Pen lifts parts of rival’s speech, aides brush off plagiarism accusations
PARIS (Reuters) – French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen came under fire on social media on Tuesday for lifting sections of a speech from a conservative rival, in what Le Pen aides said was a “nod-and-a-wink” to his voters.
Iraqi state gas firm official shot dead in Kirkuk city: police
KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) – Gunmen shot dead a senior official of Iraq’s state-run North Gas Company (NGC) on Tuesday as he was heading to his office in the northern oil city of Kirkuk, police and company sources said.
Norway billionaire to ‘give back’ most of his wealth: daily Aftenposten
OSLO (Reuters) – Norwegian investor Kjell Inge Roekke plans to make large donations from his estimated $2 billion wealth, starting with the construction and operation of a ship for research on ocean conditions and clean-up, he told daily Aftenposten on…
Without school, children of Mosul feared lost to poverty and conflict
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – Ahmed Abdelsattar was 14 when Islamic State swept into Mosul and declared a caliphate in 2014. Fearing he would be indoctrinated and sent to fight by the militants, his parents took him out of school.
