Obama to take tough but tempered line with China’s Xi
WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s economic powerhouse is slowing, destabilizing global markets. Beijing’s neighbors, unnerved over its pursuit of territorial claims, are increasingly cozying up to Washington. A threat of U.S. cyber sanctions looms over Chinese companies.
Pro-government Malaysian rally raises worry about ethnic tension
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Malaysians, most from the majority Malay community, marched through the capital on Wednesday in a show of support for the scandal-plagued government, stoking fear of ethnic tension in the diverse Southeast …
Russian helicopters spotted at Syria airfield: U.S. officials
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has identified a small number of Russian helicopters at a Syrian airfield, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, the latest addition to what Washington believes is a significant Russian military buildup in the count…
Hungarian riot police detain migrants, including ‘terrorist’
SID, Serbia/ROSZKE, Hungary (Reuters) – Hungary on Wednesday detained 29 people including a “terrorist” as migrants demanding to be let through the country’s newly shut EU frontier clashed with riot police firing water cannon and tear gas while refugee…
Burkina Faso presidential guard seize president and PM
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – Soldiers fired warning shots to disperse hundreds of protesters outside Burkina Faso’s presidential palace on Wednesday after the presidential guard burst into a cabinet meeting and arrested the interim president, stirring fears…
Obama upbeat on prospects for Pacific trade deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he was confident Pacific Rim nations could nail down an agreement on a free-trade pact this year although approval by the U.S. Congress was not guaranteed.
Ukraine’s Poroshenko says rebel elections threaten peace deal, extends sanctions
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree on Wednesday to extend sanctions on over 400 individuals and 90 legal entities in response to a decision by separatist rebels to set a date for what Kiev sees as “illegal elections”….
South Africa studying court ruling on Bashir: Foreign Minister
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s government is studying a court’s rejection of its bid to appeal a ruling that authorities erred in letting Sudan’s wanted leader leave the country despite a court order barring him from doing so, South Africa’s f…
Cuba seeks U.N. vote to end U.S. embargo; pope and Obama may help
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba on Wednesday launched its annual campaign for a United Nations resolution condemning the U.S. economic embargo while the White House and the Vatican added their own pressure on the U.S. Congress to end the 53-year-old sanctions….
Amnesty urges Cameroon to investigate abuses in Boko Haram fight
YAOUNDE (Reuters) – Amnesty International urged Cameroon on Wednesday to investigate the death of 25 prisoners and disappearance of 130 people after raids by security forces, raising concern about possible abuses arising from a crackdown on Islamist Bo…
