Push for South China Sea code stirs ASEAN suspicions about Beijing’s endgame
MANILA (Reuters) – China’s support for finalizing a code of conduct in the hotly contested South China Sea is generating some hope in Southeast Asia of settling disputes, but those working out the terms remain unconvinced of Beijing’s sincerity.
With fish and football, French presidential hopefuls woo voters
PARIS/LE GRAU DU ROI, France (Reuters) – France’s presidential candidates battled for the popular vote on Thursday with far-right Marine Le Pen wooing fishermen and Emmanuel Macron playing soccer as polls showed the centrist’s commanding lead narrow ma…
Brazil lawmakers pass labor bill in bittersweet victory for Temer
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s lower house of Congress on Wednesday approved the main text of a bill to relax the country’s restrictive labor laws, a main plank of President Michel Temer’s efforts to bolster investment and pull the economy out of its wo…
China flags global naval role after new carrier launch
SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) – China needs to raise its military capabilities to protect its growing overseas interests, its foreign minister said following the launch of China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, while vowing not to pursue expan…
U.S., South Korea agree THAAD deployment going smoothly: South Korea
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean and U.S. national security advisers agreed on Thursday that the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system was moving ahead smoothly, South Korea’s presidential office said.
U.S. urges Venezuela to release jailed Utah man on humanitarian grounds
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Wednesday urged Venezuela to release an American citizen, Joshua Holt, on humanitarian grounds, saying he was being held on “questionable charges.”
Trump gives Pentagon power to reset Iraq, Syria troop limits
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump has given the military the authority to reset a confusing system of troop limits in Iraq and Syria that critics said allowed the White House to micro-manage battlefield decisions and ultimately obscured the…
Paraguay’s lower house rejects presidential re-election amendment
ASUNCION (Reuters) – Paraguay’s lower house of Congress on Wednesday rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed for presidential re-election, ending a month-long political crisis that aroused violent protests.
Poll shows smaller lead for British PM’s Conservatives: The Times
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party holds a 16-point lead over the main opposition Labour Party ahead of a national election on June 8, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday, a smaller lead than other polls have sug…
Venezuela to withdraw from OAS, denounces campaign by Washington
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela said on Wednesday it was withdrawing from the Organization of American States, deepening the diplomatic isolation of the socialist-run nation that is already out of step with Latin America’s steady shift to the right.
