Syria rebels guardedly agree on truce but battles persist
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Government troops and insurgents fought in several parts of Syria on Sunday, apparently seeking to strengthen their positions on the eve of a ceasefire that Free Syrian Army rebels said they would observe but with major reservations….
Austria delays presidential election re-run after postal ballot snag
VIENNA (Reuters) – A re-run of Austria’s presidential election scheduled for next month has been delayed, Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on Monday, after some postal voters complained of faulty seals on ballot papers.
Turkey removes two dozen elected mayors in Kurdish militant crackdown
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Turkey appointed new administrators in two dozen Kurdish-run municipalities on Sunday after removing their elected mayors over suspected links to militants, triggering pockets of protest in its volatile southeastern regio…
North Korea flooding kills 133, displaces 107,000: U.N.
SEOUL (Reuters) – Flooding from heavy rain in North Korea has killed 133 people in its northeast while 395 are missing, with many homes and critical infrastructure destroyed, a U.N. agency said on Monday.
Afghan president expresses hope for peace deal with notorious warlord
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Monday a peace agreement with one of the country’s most notorious Islamist warlords is close to being concluded, offering hope of progress toward ending decades of conflict.
Bangladesh factory owner, others being probed as toll from fire rises
DHAKA (Reuters) – A police case has been filed against the owner of Tampaco Foils and several others working at the food and cigarette packaging plant near Dhaka as the death toll from a fire at the factory over the weekend rose to 31 on Monday.
Thai authorities downplay Zika risk, worried by tourism impact
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Health and city officials in Thailand downplayed risks from rising infections from the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which is linked to serious birth defects, and expressed concern that disclosing information would damage its tourism i…
Germany’s anti-immigrant AfD party suffers election setback in west
BERLIN (Reuters) – The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party finished a distant fourth with just 7.8 percent of the vote in local elections on Sunday in Lower Saxony state – a week after beating Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives in …
Bullets trump rehab as Asia quickens ‘failing’ war on drugs
BANGKOK/YANGON (Reuters) – The Philippines has launched a bloody “war on drugs” that has killed at least 2,400 people in just two months, while neighboring Indonesia has declared a “narcotics emergency” and resumed executing drug convicts after a long …
China says has tightened judicial procedures to protect rights
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has tightened judicial procedures against illegally obtained evidence and upheld the presumption of innocence, state media said on Monday, as the country seeks to combat perceptions of human rights violations within Communist …
