New Zealand evacuates quake-hit town, fears of Wellington building collapse
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand emergency services and defense personnel evacuated hundreds of tourists and residents from a small South Island town amid more strong aftershocks on Tuesday, a day after a powerful earthquake killed two people.
Russian court annuls ruling against opposition leader Alexei Navalny
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a lower court’s decision to hand Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny a suspended five year sentence, raising supporters’ hopes he might be able to run in the next presidential election.
Former banker Macron joins French presidential race
PARIS (Reuters) – French former economy minister Emmanuel Macron joined the 2017 presidential election race on Wednesday, formally announcing that he was entering the contest as an independent candidate.
Yemen’s Houthis say they want to end war, form unity government
HODEIDAH, Yemen (Reuters) – Yemen’s Houthi group said on Wednesday it was ready to stop fighting and join a national unity government, raising hopes of a resolution to a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people.
Indonesian court sentences American to life for drug smuggling: agency
JAKARTA (Reuters) – An Indonesian court sentenced an American to life in prison on Wednesday for smuggling a large quantity of crystal meth into the country from China, state news agency Antara reported.
Indonesia police to pursue blasphemy case against capital’s Christian governor as tension simmers
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian police said on Wednesday they will pursue an investigation into a blasphemy complaint by Muslim groups against the Christian governor of Jakarta, amid simmering religious and ethnic tension in the world’s largest Muslim-m…
Soap opera: South Korea’s Park ‘used starlet as pseudonym’ at detox clinic
SEOUL (Reuters) – The starlet of a TV soap became the most talked-about celebrity in South Korea on Wednesday when a TV channel revealed President Park Geun-hye once used her name as a pseudonym at a beauty and detox clinic, a distraction from the scan…
Kurdish militia YPG to depart Syria’s Manbij after training, U.S. diplomat says
ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Kurdish YPG militia will pull its forces from the Syrian city of Manbij and withdraw east of the Euphrates River in order to participate in the campaign to liberate the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, it said in a sta…
Russian government to meet on Wednesday, ahead of schedule
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Russian government will hold an urgent meeting at midday on Wednesday, Valentina Matvienko, speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, told senators, the Interfax news agency reported.
Other suspects may appear in bribery case of Russia’s ex-economy minister: agencies
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Other suspects may appear in a criminal case in which investigators have charged Russia’s former economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev with extorting a $2 million bribe, unnamed sources told Russian news agencies on Wednesday.
