Zimbabwe declines comment on Mugabe health rumors
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s spokesman declined to comment on Wednesday on rumors that the 91-year-old leader had suffered a heart attack, saying a response to the latest speculation about his health was “unnecessary”.
China says detained Swedish citizen on national security charges
BEIJING/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – A Swedish man detained in China last week was suspected of acts detrimental to the country’s national security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday in its first comments on the case against the foreign human …
Putin ally says opposition should be tried as enemies of the people
MOSCOW (Reuters) – One of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s most high-profile allies has accused the opposition of trying to exploit the economic crisis to destabilize the country, using Stalin-era rhetoric to suggest unnamed individuals be put on trial …
China arrests most prominent woman rights lawyer for subversion
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have formally arrested China’s most prominent woman human rights lawyer, accusing her of subverting the state, her lawyer said on Wednesday, as part of a crackdown on activists who have helped people fight for th…
China’s Ai Weiwei bedecks beard with Lego bricks after firm backs down
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei published photos of himself with Lego hanging off his moustache and beard on Wednesday, celebrating the toymaker’s decision to back down on rules that blocked his bulk order of bricks.
Sweden asks to question Assange, waits for Ecuador answer
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Swedish prosecutors have requested permission to question Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy in London over rape allegations and are waiting for a response, the Prosecution Authority said on Wednesday.
Hackers bring down Thai websites over British murders verdict
BANGKOK (Reuters) – International hacking movement Anonymous said it attacked hundreds of Thai government websites on Wednesday over death sentences handed down to two migrant workers for the murder of two British tourists.
Pride in North Korea nuclear tests eroded by daily grind
SEOUL (Reuters) – Oh Hyun-min was in middle school when North Korea conducted its third nuclear test in February 2013. He remembers feeling elated to hear the news that his country had successfully tested such a “big weapon”, he told Reuters.
Philippines offers eight bases to U.S. under new military deal
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines has offered the United States eight bases where it can build facilities to store equipment and supplies under a new security deal, a military spokesman said on Wednesday, amid rising tension with China over the South …
Serbian PM threatens critics with early election, again
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbia’s conservative prime minister on Wednesday set a meeting with his party leadership to discuss whether to hold a snap election, a day after lashing out over his name being booed at a major sports event in Belgrade at the week…
