Myanmar signs ceasefire with eight armed groups
NAYPYITAW (Reuters) – Myanmar’s government and eight armed ethnic groups signed a ceasefire agreement on Thursday, the culmination of more than two years of negotiations aimed at bringing an end to the majority of the country’s long-running conflicts.
U.S. urges release of Chinese lawyer in growing crackdown
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Wednesday urged China to release human rights lawyer Zhang Kai and said it was concerned over reports that the son of another detained rights lawyer had been placed under house arrest.
Pakistan says deaf-mute Indian woman to return home this month
KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) – A deaf-mute woman who lost her family when she wandered over one of the world’s most militarized borders as a child will return to India this month, officials at the Pakistani charity where she has been living for years sa…
World Bank may compensate Syria’s neighbors for refugee costs
GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Bank plans to talk to its member countries about compensating Syria’s neighbors for the substantial fiscal cost of hosting refugees for long periods, a World Bank official said in Geneva on Thursday.
Malaysia’s embattled PM facing stern test as parliament returns
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak faces the toughest test of his political career so far when parliament reconvenes next week, with the leader facing questions from a growing number of establishment figures about his allege…
Finland arrests suspected traffickers bringing migrants from Turkey
HELSINKI (Reuters) – The Finnish Border Guard said on Thursday it was investigating a ring of human traffickers suspected of illegally smuggling at least 100 people from Turkey to Finland over the last year.
Germany’s Merkel says Turkey key to solving refugee crisis
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Turkey plays a key role in solving the “historic task” of dealing with Europe’s migrant crisis and that the European Union should do more to help Ankara deal with the influx of refugees.
Germany’s Merkel says will work constructively with Britain on EU reform
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday her country would work constructively with Britain on European Union reform, but stressed that some principles were non-negotiable, such as free movement of people.
Kazakh leader says he and Putin worried about Tajikistan
ASTANA (Reuters) – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said on Thursday he and Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin were very concerned with the situation in Tajikistan.
Yemen Houthis say fire missile in retaliation for Saudi ‘war crimes’
DUBAI (Reuters) – Yemen’s Houthi forces fired a ballistic missile on Thursday in retaliation for attacks by a Saudi-led coalition, a source in the Iranian-allied group said, and a Houthi-linked television station said a Scud missile had been fired at a…
