Wife of French presidential candidate Fillon held for questioning -report
PARIS (Reuters) – Penelope Fillon, the wife of presidential candidate Francois Fillon, was being held for questioning in connection with allegations she did little work for payments she received as his assistant, news web site Mediapart reported on Wed…
Three compete to run Hong Kong, balancing Beijing masters and calls for democracy
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Two former officials and a retired judge on Wednesday won the right to compete to become the next leader of Hong Kong, a job that requires balancing the demands of Communist Party rulers in Beijing and growing calls for democracy …
Taliban claim attacks in Afghan capital, at least 15 dead
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan Taliban militants said they attacked police, military and intelligence targets in Kabul on Wednesday, as security officials confirmed attacks in two areas of the city that killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens.
In Tallin, Gabriel expresses doubts on NATO defense spending target
TALLIN (Reuters) – German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told reporters in Estonia on Wednesday that NATO had not agreed on every nation in the alliance having to meet a rigid target of spending 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense.
France’s Fillon denounces probe, fights on for presidency
PARIS (Reuters) – Conservative Francois Fillon promised on Wednesday to fight “to the end” in France’s presidential election despite a deepening financial scandal, but his campaign suffered new blows as a top aide resigned and a party backing him susp…
Philippines’ Duterte signs Paris pact on climate change
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change restricting greenhouse gas emissions, putting the deal one step closer to ratification in the country, a senator said on Wednesday.
South Korea, U.S. begin large-scale annual drills amid North Korea tension
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean and U.S. troops began large-scale joint military exercise on Wednesday conducted annually to test their defense readiness against the threat from North Korea, which routinely characterizes the drills as preparation for wa…
Iraqi army controls main roads out of Mosul, trapping Islamic State
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – U.S.-backed Iraqi army units on Wednesday took control of the last major road out of western Mosul that had been in Islamic State’s hands, trapping the militants in a shrinking area within the city, a general and residents said….
Saudi king signs range of deals in Indonesia at start of visit
BOGOR, Indonesia (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman held talks with Indonesia’s president on Wednesday and signed a range of cooperation agreements at the beginning of a 12-day visit to the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.
German SPD trims Merkel’s lead in Forsa poll
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) have narrowed the gap with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives to 2 percentage points from 3 in the last week, according to a poll for Stern magazine by the Forsa institute.
