As Pope visit nears, U.S. Catholic Church faces financial strain
BOSTON (Reuters) – When Pope Francis makes his first visit to the United States this month he will face a national Catholic Church whose finances are staggering under a shrinking membership and huge payouts to sex-abuse victims, threatening to undermin…
North, South Korea agree to hold family reunions in October: South
SEOUL (Reuters) – Families torn apart by the Korean War six decades ago are to reunite briefly near the heavily fortified border of North and South Korea next month under a deal reached between the two sides on Tuesday, according to a statement from th…
China party fears most a crisis over corruption, official says
BEIJING (Reuters) – What China’s Communist Party fears most is a crisis over corruption which would threaten its hold on power, but it is confident people will stand by its efforts to combat the problem, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Thailand frees British man blacklisted in plagiarism spat
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A British academic who accused a Thai official of plagiarism, and whose name later showed up on a national security blacklist as a potential danger to society, said on Tuesday he had been freed after being held for four days at a Ba…
Australian PM slams ‘xenophobic’ opposition to China trade deal
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Opposition to a landmark free trade deal with China is driven by racism and xenophobia, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Tuesday, as his political opponents dug in their heels over what they say are weaknesses in its lab…
Beijing police shoot suspect in knife attack: Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police on Tuesday shot and wounded a man in downtown Beijing who resisted arrest after killing one person and injuring several others with a kitchen knife, the state news agency Xinhua reported.
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi calls for free and fair elections as campaigning starts
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi kicked off campaigning for the first free general election since the end of military rule saying it would be a crucial turning point and called on the global community to monitor the outcome…
In haven for Mideast emigres, a hope U.S. will take more refugees
DEARBORN, Mich. (Reuters) – Akeel Asady, the usually cheerful part-owner of Iraqi Kabob restaurant, lifted a kitchen towel draped over his left shoulder to wipe tears that formed seconds after he spoke of the 3-year-old Syrian boy who drowned last week during his refugee family’s desperate attempt to make it to Greece.
Mexico charges four officials over drug lord Guzman’s jailbreak
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Four public officials have been charged for their suspected roles in the jailbreak of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the country’s federal courts system said on Monday, bringing the total number of officials charge…
Japan PM retains party post for three more years, pledges focus on economy
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a rare second consecutive term on Tuesday as ruling party chief, and hence premier, pledging to retain focus on reviving the world’s third-biggest economy and deepen debate on revising its pacifi…
