Thai PM defends decision to send Uighurs back to China
BANGKOK/ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Thailand’s prime minister defended on Thursday a decision to forcibly return nearly 100 Uighur Muslim migrants to China despite rights groups’ fears they could face ill-treatment, saying it was not Bangkok’s fault if they s…
Nigerian church rejects coroner report on building collapse
LAGOS (Reuters) – A Nigerian megachurch run by one of Africa’s best known preachers, TB Joshua, has dismissed a coroner’s ruling that it should be prosecuted over a building collapse last year in which 115 people, most of them South Africans, were kill…
Kremlin critics say ‘climate of fear’ grows in Russia
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Kremlin critics say a climate of fear is growing in Russia after the upper house of parliament drew up a list of “undesirable” civil rights organizations and two similar groups decided to close.
Emir says Kuwaitis foil bid to sow sectarian divisions after bombing
KUWAIT (Reuters) – The emir of Kuwait said on Thursday his country had thwarted attempts to sow sectarian divisions after last month’s suicide bombing but warned that the world needs to do more to confront the “satanic” behavior of Islamist militants.
Afghan spy agency says third Islamic State commander killed in drone strike
KABUL (Reuters) – The Afghan intelligence agency on Thursday said a third top Islamic State commander in Afghanistan was killed in a U.S. drone strike in the country’s east this week.
Angolans resentful as China tightens its grip
LUANDA (Reuters) – When a halving of oil prices left a gaping hole in Angola’s finances this year, it became clear sub-Saharan Africa’s third largest economy needed help fast – and President Jose Eduardo dos Santos knew exactly where to turn.
Bomb explodes in Nigeria’s oil hub Port Harcourt, no casualties
(Reuters) – A bomb went off near federal high court in Nigeria’s oil hub Port Harcourt in the delta region on Thursday but there were no casualties, Governor Nyesom Wike said.
U.S., allies conduct 21 air strikes against Islamic State: military
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies targeted Islamic State in Iraq with 14 air strikes on Wednesday and conducted seven strikes against the militant group in Syria, the military said in a statement on Thursday.
Five Ethiopian bloggers, journalists released from custody
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Five Ethiopian journalists and bloggers who were at the center of a long-running criminal case that government critics say was meant to silence them have been released, while four others remain in custody, rights group said on Thurs…
U.N. says Nepal’s customs and taxation are delaying aid to quake survivors
NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The United Nations has criticized Nepal for imposing customs procedures and taxation on aid, saying that it was delaying the delivery of life-saving materials to tens of thousands of survivors of two recent mega…
