Kazakhstan’s election could yield clue to succession
ALMATY/ASTANA (Reuters) – Kazakhstan’s ruling party is almost certain to retain control over the lower house of parliament in a snap election on Sunday, but the vote may still play a part in deciding who will succeed President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Dozens killed in air strikes on Syria’s Raqqa: monitor, activists
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Dozens of people were killed in a series of air strikes on the city of Raqqa in northern Syria on Saturday, a monitoring group and activists said, as Damascus and Moscow waged attacks on areas controlled by Islamic State.
Exiled Tibetans to elect leader to sustain struggle against China
DHARAMSALA, India (Reuters) – Exiled Tibetans across India and overseas started voting on Sunday to elect a political leader for the next five years, in a bid to help sustain their struggle to secure complete autonomy for Chinese-ruled Tibet.
Inequality curbs enthusiasm for Obama visit among Cuba’s poor
HAVANA (Reuters) – Fluttering U.S. flags, fixed-up roads and fresh paint on colonial buildings convey the optimism in Havana ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s historic visit this weekend, but rising inequality sours the mood for some of the city’s…
Trump candidacy stirs alliance angst in Japan
TOKYO (Reuters) – U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump’s portrayal of Japan as a free-rider on security is stirring worries in Tokyo about damage to its U.S. alliance, and could embolden hardliners keen to bolster Japan’s military in the face of a …
‘I was a suicide bomber’: Paris suspect charged in Belgium
BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) – The prime surviving suspect for the Nov. 13 Paris attacks planned to blow himself up at a sports stadium with fellow Islamic State militants but changed his mind, he told Belgian investigators on Saturday.
Sydney among first cities to switch off lights for Earth Hour
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Cities on Australia’s east coast were among the first in the world to turn lights out on Saturday for the 10th annual Earth Hour, a global lights out event designed to highlight the threat from climate change.
Australian government abandons campaign to log World Heritage forest
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Australian government ended its push to log World Heritage-listed forests on the southern island state of Tasmania on Sunday, after the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO issued a report calling for the area to remain protecte…
Sinai attack kills at least 13 Egyptian policemen
CAIRO (Reuters) – At least 13 Egyptian policemen were killed in the Sinai Peninsula when Islamist militants fired a mortar round at a security checkpoint in the city of Arish, security and medical sources said on Saturday.
Brazil’s Rousseff knew about bribery scheme, senator says: magazine
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – A senator accused of involvement in Brazil’s biggest corruption scandal said on Saturday President Dilma Rousseff and her predecessor Lula were aware of it and tried to block investigations, as a poll showed support for her impeac…
