Britain’s left-wing Labour gets historic win in City of London
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Labour party has won five seats at elections in the City of London, the heart of the country’s financial district, as it seeks to challenge the borough’s centuries-old policy of independence from party politics.
French defense minister sees Raqqa battle starting in coming days
PARIS (Reuters) – A battle against Islamic State to recapture the Syrian city of Raqqa is likely to start in the coming days, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday.
Russia calls U.S. charge it may be supplying Taliban ‘a lie’: RIA
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia dismissed a U.S. allegation it may be supplying Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan as “a lie” on Friday, saying the charge was an attempt by Washington to try to cover up for the failure of its own policies there, the RIA news …
UAE says it’s surprised by laptop ban but will cooperate
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates, one of the world’s top aviation hubs, has said it was surprised by the ban on laptops in plane cabins bound for the United States because UAE security was already tight, but it pledged to cooperate with U…
Hong Kong prosecutes captain, shipper in Singapore troop carriers case
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong authorities have launched a prosecution against the captain of the ship and shipping agent involved in transporting nine Singaporean armored vehicles seized in the city last November.
Poll finds unprecedented uncertainty among French voters before presidential election
PARIS (Reuters) – A month before the first round of France’s presidential election, 43 percent of voters are hesitant about who to vote for, a poll said on Friday, underlining the uncertainty surrounding the volatile election campaign.
Adrenalin-fueled TV drama to spur on China’s war on graft
BEIJING (Reuters) – Helicopter chases, fridges full of cash and officials caught in bed with their foreign mistresses are all in a day’s work for China’s anti-graft prosecutors, according to a new state-backed TV drama aimed at bolstering China’s graft…
Hong Kong likely to choose Beijing’s pick for leader amid tension, economic malaise
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong on Sunday will likely select Beijing’s favored candidate for its next leader who some say will further divide a city where middle class families have become increasingly disaffected by political tension and economic hard…
Japan PM Abe denies he or wife made donations to principal of scandal-hit school
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeated denials on Friday that he or his wife had made donations to the head of a Japanese nationalist school at the heart of a political scandal that is chipping away at Abe’s support.
North Korea maintains readiness for nuclear test at any time: South Korea
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea has maintained readiness to conduct a new nuclear test at any time, a South Korean military official said on Friday, amid a report of a possible test within days as Pyongyang defies international pressure.
