U.S. adds extra aircraft to Marine force in Australia
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The United States will send extra military aircraft to Australia’s tropical north this year, a U.S. Marine Corps spokesman said on Wednesday, bolstering its military presence close to the disputed South China Sea.
New Zealand government orders building repairs due to quake risks
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The New Zealand government said on Wednesday it will require building owners to urgently fix hundreds of hazardous buildings due to concerns over the heightened earthquake risk following a deadly tremor in November.
Knights of Malta head resigns after dispute with Vatican
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The head of the Knights of Malta, who has been locked in a bitter dispute with the Vatican, has resigned, a spokesperson for the Rome-based Catholic chivalric and charity institution said on Wednesday.
China foreign minister says wants to manage disputes with U.S.
BEIJING (Reuters) – China wants dialogue with the new U.S. administration to manage disputes and promote bilateral relations, but only on the basis of respecting each other’s core interests, like the “one China” principle, China’s foreign minister said…
Israel plans more than 2,500 new settler homes to start Trump era
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel announced plans on Tuesday for 2,500 more settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the second such declaration since U.S. President Donald Trump took office signaling he could be more accommodating toward such projects t…
Equatorial Guinea confirms hosting ousted Gambian leader Jammeh
MALABO (Reuters) – Equatorial Guinea confirmed on Tuesday it was hosting ousted Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh, who fled his country after West African troops threatened to remove him by force if he did not concede his election defeat.
Brazil prosecutor says Temer labor reforms illegal
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s top labor prosecutor said President Michel Temer’s proposals to modernize the country’s labor laws were illegal in a report published on Tuesday that provided ammunition to workers’ unions fighting the reforms.
Jihadists battle moderate rebels in northern Syria
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Heavy fighting erupted in northwestern Syria on Tuesday between a powerful jihadist organization and more moderate rebel groups, threatening to further weaken the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad in its biggest territorial str…
France’s Fillon acts to head off scandal over wife’s work
PARIS (Reuters) – The frontrunner in France’s presidential election race, conservative Francois Fillon, acknowledged on Tuesday that his wife had worked for him when he was a legislator, but denied a media report that she had been paid for fictitious e…
Foreign powers back Syria truce deal, war erupts among rebels
ASTANA (Reuters) – Russia and regional powers Turkey and Iran backed a shaky truce between Syria’s warring parties on Tuesday and agreed to monitor its compliance, but on the ground rebels faced continued fighting on two fronts which could undermine th…
