Padded cells and soft spoons await China graft suspects
BEIJING (Reuters) – Padded cells to prevent suicide and soft spoons that cannot be made into weapons await officials suspected of corruption in one holding center in southwestern China, in unusual images of China’s graft fight carried by a state-run ne…
Rival Libyan parliament chiefs meet, reject U.N. peace deal
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – The leaders of Libya’s rival parliaments rejected a U.N. peace deal a day before moderates from both sides were due to sign it, highlighting the deep splits challenging international efforts to end the fighting.
Italy PM Renzi says Russian sanctions to be reviewed in coming months
ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Wednesday that Europe and other Western countries are likely to review their economic sanctions against Russia in coming months.
Philippine court puts off ruling on U.S. military pact
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippine Supreme Court on Wednesday put off for a second time a decision on the legality of a new security agreement with the United States, raising fresh doubt about a deal that would give U.S forces access to Philippine milit…
Russia says Montenegro should hold referendum on joining NATO
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Montenegro should hold a referendum on joining NATO, and less than half of the country’s population backs joining the military alliance, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
North Korea sentences Canadian pastor to hard labor for life: Xinhua
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea’s highest court has sentenced a South Korea-born Canadian pastor to hard labor for life for subversion, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday.
Voting starts in Seychelles presidential run-off
VICTORIA (Reuters) – The Seychelles voted on Wednesday in the second round of a presidential election in which incumbent James Michel is seeking a third term by touting the Indian Ocean archipelago’s economic expansion under his watch.
Rare tornado rips through Sydney, damaging beachside suburbs
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A rare tornado hit Sydney on Wednesday with destructive winds above 200 km an hour (125 mph) and cricket ball-sized hail, bringing down trees and power lines, sheering off roofs and walls and causing flash flooding in Australia’s lar…
Two Palestinians killed during Israeli arrest raid in West Bank
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Israeli security forces shot dead two Palestinians who tried to ram them with their cars during an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Israeli army and police and Palestinian medical sources said.
Former ‘wine queen’ co-stars with Merkel at German party gala
KARLSRUHE, Germany (Reuters) – With a rousing speech in defense of her refugee policies, Angela Merkel fended off a challenge from conservative critics this week, reasserting control over her party and bolstering her case for a fourth term as German ch…
