Vietnam talks trust with China, invites Japanese warship
HANOI/BEIJING (Reuters) – Vietnam agreed to build a “truly trustworthy” relationship with China on Friday during a visit to Hanoi by its President Xi Jinping, but at the same time invited Beijing’s old rival Japan for joint military exercises and a vis…
Pope says as boy he wanted to be butcher
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis, who has vowed to reform the Roman Catholic Church, making it leaner and simpler, has disclosed that as a little boy he wanted to become a butcher.
Second freak storm heads for Yemen, WMO says
GENEVA (Reuters) – A new tropical cyclone is heading for Yemen three days after a storm dumped several years’ worth of rain on the port city of Mukalla, the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.
Orban’s ratings rise as Hungarian fence deters migrant ‘invasion’
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – With an anti-immigrant campaign and razor-wire border fence Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has reversed a slide in his party’s popularity, emerging at home as a winner in the crisis that has divided Europe.
Russian air strikes kill 42 in Islamic State-held Raqqa, Syria: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Air strikes by Russian warplanes on the Islamic State-held Syrian city of Raqqa killed 42 people earlier this week, including 27 civilians, monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.
Germany expects draft law on asylum centers by end of 2015
BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government expects to complete a draft law detailing the procedures at asylum registration centers it plans to erect to better manage the influx of migrants by the end of this year, an Interior Ministry spokesman said on F…
Palestinian government shuts Arab newspaper over report on Israel ties
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – The Palestinian administration in the occupied West Bank shut down the local office of a pan-Arab newspaper this week after accusing it of “offensive” reporting on Palestinian security coordination with Israel, officials…
Nepal border crackdown deepens constitutional standoff
BIRGUNJ, Nepal (Reuters) – Nepal’s busiest entry point for goods from India has witnessed a new wave of unrest after police failed to clear a border blockade, the attempt only strengthening the resolve of protesters to fight the Himalayan nation’s new …
Hong Kong court extends press gag in test case for freedoms
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A Hong Kong judge on Friday extended a press gag order in a case involving one of Asia’s top universities, renewing concerns about press freedom in the Chinese-controlled city in the wake of last year’s pro-democracy protests.
Bomb blast hits Lebanese army vehicle in north, wounds two: security source
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A roadside bomb blast hit an army vehicle in northern Lebanese on Friday, wounding two soldiers, a day after a bombing in the same town killed nine people, a security source said.
