Rubber bullets and tear gas – how China’s ‘democracy village’ was silenced
WUKAN, CHINA (Reuters) – When the first wave of riot police swept into the southern Chinese “democracy village” of Wukan shortly after 3am Tuesday, some breaking through gates with wooden battering rams, frightened residents sounded gongs to raise the …
Exiled Maldives ex-leader says working with rival to bring down government
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Former Maldivian leader Mohamed Nasheed said he has been working with his old rival, another former president who had him jailed again and again, to find “legal options” to bring down the current government of the troubled Indian Oc…
Chinese villagers describe police beatings in ‘wild crackdown’ on protest
WUKAN, China (Reuters) – Residents of a southern Chinese village once seen as a cradle of grassroots democracy were in shock on Wednesday after a “wild crackdown” by police in clashes with protesters which they said led to about 70 people being detaine…
Germany sends 650 troops to fight IS arms smuggling in Mediterranean
BERLIN (Reuters) – The German cabinet gave the green light on Wednesday to send up to 650 troops to join a new NATO mission to combat arms smuggling by the Islamic State militant group in the Mediterranean Sea.
Australia’s far-right leader denounces China investment in comeback speech
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Pauline Hanson, founder of Australia’s far-right One Nation party, used her first speech in parliament in almost two decades on Wednesday to denounce Chinese ownership of assets and warn that the country is in danger of “being swampe…
Pope says murdered French priest a martyr, on road to sainthood
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis said Father Jacques Hamel, the French priest knifed to death at his altar by Islamist militants in July, was a “martyr”, and indicated on Wednesday he was already on the road to sainthood.
Japanese PM to discuss North Korea, economic ties during rare Cuba trip
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will seek Cuba’s help in responding to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs during a rare visit to Havana next week, a spokesman said, and also hopes to expand Japanese business interests on th…
Malaysian democracy group to stage 1MDB protest, calling for PM to resign
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian democracy group Bersih said on Wednesday it would hold a protest rally calling for the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak to allow an independent investigation into the financial scandal at 1Malaysia …
EU’s Schulz calls for review of ethics code after Barroso goes to Goldman
BERLIN (Reuters) – European Parliament President Martin Schulz said the European Union should revise its code of conduct after the furor caused by former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso taking a job with U.S. bank Goldman Sachs, a Ger…
North Korea ramps up uranium enrichment, enough for six nuclear bombs a year: experts
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea will have enough material for about 20 nuclear bombs by the end of this year, with ramped-up uranium enrichment facilities and an existing stockpile of plutonium, according to new assessments by weapons experts.
