To arm against drought, Kenya maps its water resources
MWEA, Kenya (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – After inheriting land from his father 20 years ago, George Kinyua did the same as thousands of other local farmers: he grew rice using water from canals.
Syria opposition, rebel dismiss Iran idea for transition
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Any peace plan for Syria allowing President Bashar al-Assad to stand in early elections after a transition period would be “mad” because he is the root of the problem and holding a nationwide poll is impossible, a Syrian opposition f…
Turkey’s critical media fear deeper crackdown if election bolsters Erdogan
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – In almost half a century as a reporter, columnist and editor of two national newspapers, Hasan Cemal has seen coups, military rule and government crises shake Turkish democracy. But never, he says, have press freedoms been so curta…
Russia says no country can use military force in Syria without government approval
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Friday that no country could use military force in Syria without first securing the agreement of the Syrian government, the TASS news agency reported.
Britain seeks ’emergency brake’ for non-euro countries: FT
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is seeking an “emergency brake” to allow countries which are in the European Union but outside the euro zone to delay decisions that could threaten their interests, the Financial Times reported.
Militant-linked charity on front line of Pakistan quake aid
REHANKOT, Pakistan (Reuters) – The United Nations says Pakistani charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa is a front for a deadly militant group blamed for a bloody 2008 attack on the Indian city of Mumbai. But to survivors of this week’s earthquake, the Islamist aid wo…
Despite agreements, risks linger of U.S.-China naval mishaps
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In 2013, a U.S. guided-missile ship veered sharply to avoid a Chinese navy vessel that tried to block its path in the disputed South China Sea, according to the U.S. account. The next year, the United States said a Chinese fighte…
China to allow all couples two children to counter aging population
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will ease family planning restrictions to allow all couples to have two children after decades of a strict one-child policy, the ruling Communist Party said on Thursday, a move aimed at alleviating demographic strains on the e…
Mexico’s full switch to oral trials unlikely in 2016-U.S. official
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico will struggle to meet its deadline next year to have a new system of oral trials operating nationwide, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said on Thursday.
In defeat for Beijing, Hague court to hear South China Sea dispute
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – In a legal setback for Beijing, an arbitration court in the Netherlands ruled on Thursday that it has jurisdiction to hear some territorial claims the Philippines has filed against China over disputed areas in the South China Sea….
