Samsung Group, pension fund offices raided in growing South Korea scandal
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean prosecutors raided the offices of Samsung Group on Wednesday, a prosecution official said, after media reports of alleged links with a confidante of President Park Geun-hye who has been indicted in an influence-peddling s…
Merkel: Germany must boost defense spending, unlikely to meet NATO goal soon
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany must increase defense spending towards 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, but downplayed expectations it would meet this target in the near future.
Dalai Lama says will visit Trump in move bound to anger China
ULAANBAATAR (Reuters) – Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said on Wednesday that he would visit U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, a meeting that would infuriate Beijing which views the Nobel Peace Prize-winning monk as a dangerous separat…
Spanish politician Rita Barbera dies of heart attack in Madrid: media
MADRID (Reuters) – Prominent Spanish politician Rita Barbera, 68, has died of a heart attack in Madrid, media reported on Wednesday.
Erdogan says EU lawmakers’ vote on Turkish membership ‘has no value’
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that a vote by the European Parliament on whether to halt EU membership talks with Ankara “has no value in our eyes” and again accused Europe of siding with terrorist organizations…
Twelve Yemeni civilians killed in Saudi-led air strike: residents
SANAA (Reuters) – Twelve Yemeni civilians were killed by a Saudi-led air strike while riding in a pickup truck in the country’s northwest early on Wednesday, residents said.
Asia outbreaks prompt question: Is all Zika dangerous?
CHICAGO/BANGKOK(Reuters) – Zika’s rampage last year in Brazil caused an explosion of infections and inflicted a crippling neurological defect on thousands of babies – an effect never seen in a mosquito-borne virus.
Thai prosecutors charge influential Buddhist monk over money laundering
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s attorney general said on Wednesday it would charge the abbot of a powerful Buddhist sect and four others suspected of money laundering in the latest twist of a long-running saga that has divided Thai Buddhism.
Spice of life: Saffron harvest offers jobs, opportunity in Afghanistan
HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) – It is early morning in a saffron field outside the western Afghan city of Herat and dozens of women are harvesting the delicate purple flowers, working quickly to gather as many as they can before the sun gets too hot.
Haiti police clash with demonstrators ahead of election results
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Haitian police fired tear gas at demonstrators backing presidential candidate Maryse Narcisse on Tuesday, in the second day of tension as the Caribbean nation awaited results from elections at the weekend.
