Afghan elders ask Taliban to release villagers after attack
SAR-E PUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Afghan village elders are trying to arrange the release of around 150 families held by Taliban fighters in a remote area of the northern province of Sar-e Pul while they await for security forces to arrive, officials …
Merkel rival wants to stay SPD leader if loses election
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s rival Martin Schulz, has said he wants to stay on as leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) even if his party loses in a federal election next month.
Philippines says China wanted non-legally binding South China Sea code
MANILA (Reuters) – China pushed for a maritime code of conduct with Southeast Asian countries that would not be legally binding, the Philippine foreign minister said on Tuesday.
U.S. denies bombing Iraqi Shi’ite militia near Syrian border
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State on Tuesday denied responsibility for an attack near the Syrian border which killed dozens of members of an Iraqi Shi’ite militia and, that group said, several of Iran’s elite Revolutiona…
Diplomacy fails to defuse India, China border crisis: sources
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s diplomatic efforts to end a seven-week military standoff with China have hit a roadblock, people briefed on the talks said, prompting Chinese state-run media to trumpet rhetoric of “unavoidable countermeasures” on the unma…
Exclusive: As sanctions loom, seafood trade slows on China-North Korea border
DANDONG, China (Reuters) – A thriving trade in seafood across the Yalu River that separates China from North Korea has dramatically slowed, traders said, although there is still nearly a month to go for a United Nations deadline to tighten sanctions on…
U.N. decries excessive force in Venezuela’s crackdown on protests
CARACAS/GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations slammed Venezuela on Tuesday for the use of excessive force against anti-government protesters and said security forces and pro-government groups were believed responsible for the deaths of at least 73 demo…
China leaning on Singapore to keep ASEAN calm over South China Sea: sources
HONG KONG (Reuters) – China is worried it could face fresh criticism over its actions in the South China Sea when Singapore becomes chairman of the Association of South East Asian Nations next year, and is putting pressure on the city-state to make sur…
Iran’s Rouhani presents new ministers to parliament
LONDON (Reuters) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani presented his cabinet to parliament for a vote of confidence on Tuesday, keeping in place the chief architect of Tehran’s nuclear accord with global powers.
Turkey agrees to German lawmaker visit to troops, says Berlin
BERLIN (Reuters) – Turkey has agreed to let German lawmakers visit soldiers serving at an air base in Turkey next month as part of a NATO trip, a letter from the German foreign minister showed on Tuesday, after Ankara refused a visit there in July.
