Feted in China, Xi’s U.S. profile dims in shadow of pope
BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – On Friday morning, Chinese President Xi Jinping enjoyed the symbolic high point of his first state visit to the United States – a 21-gun salute as he stood with President Barack Obama outside the White House.
Turks kidnapped in Baghdad appear in video promising their release
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Sixteen Turkish workers abducted in Baghdad earlier this month have appeared in an online video promising their release, days after the U.N. backed a deal to extricate Syrian villagers under siege from rebels supported by Ankara.
Turkey’s Davutoglu sees no transition period for Syria’s Assad: media
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey remains opposed to any political transition in Syria involving President Bashar al-Assad, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted as saying on Monday in an apparent clarification of its policy.
Polls show UK public closely split over remaining in EU
LONDON (Reuters) – The gap between Britons who want to remain in the European Union and those who want to leave remains tight ahead of a membership referendum due by the end of 2017, according to two opinion polls on Monday.
China’s culture chief says sites being plundered, bulldozed
BEIJING (Reuters) – The treasures of China’s thousands of years of culture face being plundered, sometimes violently, or disappearing under bulldozers as authorities either do not care or do not have the resources to look after them, China’s culture ch…
Maldives president unhurt in speedboat blast, wife, aides injured: official
MALE (Reuters) – The president of the Maldives was unhurt but his wife and two aides were injured in an explosion on board their speedboat as it approached Male, capital of the Indian Ocean archipelago, a senior aide told Reuters.
Japan to offer $810 million to support refugees fleeing Syria, Iraq: NHK
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan, which accepted just 11 asylum seekers out of 5,000 applications last year, will provide about $810 million in aid in response to refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday.
Iran’s Rouhani: Assad government in Syria ‘can’t be weakened’
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday fighting radical militants like Islamic State in Syria is the top priority and if they are to be defeated then President Bashar al-Assad’s government “can’t be weakened.”
Attack on Afghan cricket match kills nine, wounds over 50
KABUL (Reuters) – A suicide car bombing killed at least nine people and wounded more than 50 at a cricket match in Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said.
Iran denounces Saudi Arabia over haj and demands apology
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran demanded an apology from Saudi Arabia on Sunday over the deaths of 769 people at the haj pilgrimage and accused it of trying to evade blame, while Riyadh in turn accused Tehran of playing politics with the disaster.
