India’s top court scuttles Modi’s judicial reform move
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s top court on Friday struck down a law giving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government a bigger say in the appointment of top judges, calling the new system harmful to judicial independence in the world’s largest democracy…
Serbian leader compares EU demands to Habsburg ultimatum on eve of WWI
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbia’s president has compared European Union demands of the country in exchange for membership of the bloc to an ultimatum the Austro-Hungarian empire presented to Belgrade on the eve of World War One.
Merkel welcomes Obama plan to slow Afghanistan troop withdrawal
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel strongly welcomes President Barack Obama’s plans to prolong the U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan, her spokesman said.
Israel’s Netanyahu to travel to Germany on Wednesday
BERLIN (Reuters) – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Germany next Wednesday for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel on the security situation in his country and the wider Middle East, Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said on F…
China wants naval drills with Southeast Asia in South China Sea
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s defense minister said on Friday that he is willing to hold joint drills in the disputed South China Sea with Southeast Asian countries, covering accidental encounters and search and rescue, striking a conciliatory tone over …
Migrants fall through the cracks in Austria’s asylum system
TRAISKIRCHEN, Austria (Reuters) – After fleeing civil war, surviving a perilous sea crossing and trudging through several countries, Syrian refugees think they will receive basic food, shelter and fair treatment when they reach Austria. Most are right,…
At least 36 killed in suicide attacks in Nigeria’s northeast: medics
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – At least 36 people have been killed in multiple suicide attacks in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state at a mosque and a residential building, police and medical sources said on Friday.
Russia, ex-Soviet states to jointly defend borders in crisis
BURABAI, Kazakhstan (Reuters) – The leaders of ex-Soviet states, led by Russian President Vladimir Putin, responded to growing instability in Afghanistan on Friday by agreeing to create a joint task force to defend their bloc’s external borders if a cr…
Field marshalling – Thai military launches rural education plan
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s junta will send soldiers to rural areas to educate villagers on topics from careers to farming, a junta spokesman said on Friday, but critics say the scheme is a thinly veiled attempt to re-educate dissenters.
Suicide bombing, gunbattle kills 12 in western Yemen: security sources
SANAA (Reuters) – A suspected al Qaeda suicide bombing, accompanied by an attack with guns and grenades, killed 10 soldiers guarding an intelligence building in the western Yemeni city of Hodaida on Friday, security sources said.
