Four new fires at China blast site, widespread safety hazards found
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Four new fires have broken out at the site where two huge blasts last week killed 116 people, Chinese state media reported Friday soon after officials said safety hazards were found at almost 70 percent of firms handling dangerous …
Ground battles flare as Pakistan pushes new offensive against militants
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistani troops pushed deeper into militant-held areas in the North Waziristan region on Friday, launching a ground offensive against the Pakistani Taliban and other Islamist fighters in their last strongholds ne…
Lula’s legacy threatened as Brazil crisis simmers
Sao Paulo (Reuters) – An ongoing political and economic crisis once more threatens to fell the tallest tree in Brazil’s political landscape: former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Erdogan, AK Party set to keep grip with interim Turkish cabinet
ANKARA (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling AK Party will keep their grip on power when an interim government is formed next week to lead Turkey to a snap election, with the cabinet set to be dominated by loyalists.
Afghanistan seethes at Taliban meetings it says held in Pakistan
KABUL (Reuters) – The new leader of the Taliban has met influential clerics seeking to heal a rift after the death of founder Mullah Omar, in the latest gathering to anger the Afghan government, which accuses Pakistan of allowing militants to meet on i…
Second group of U.S-trained Syrian rebels could be deployed ‘within weeks’
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A second group of rebel fighters trained in Turkey by the U.S.-led coalition could be deployed to Syria within weeks as part of a campaign to push Islamic State insurgents away from the border, diplomatic sources told Reuters on Fr…
Tens of thousands displaced by Boko Haram in two weeks in Chad
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Around 40,000 people have fled their homes in Chad in the past two weeks following attacks by Islamist militant group Boko Haram, according to an aid agency, as the insurgency stokes an escalating humanitarian cris…
Men jailed 19 years for ‘brazen’ attack on Hong Kong newspaper editor
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Two men who attacked a former chief editor of a widely respected Hong Kong newspaper with a meat cleaver were jailed on Friday for 19 years in a case that has raised concerns about press freedom in the Chinese-run city.
China says more than 10 countries to join unprecedented WW II military parade
BEIJING (Reuters) – Troops from at least 10 countries including Russia and Kazakhstan will join an unprecedented military parade in Beijing next month to commemorate China’s victory over Japan during World War Two, Chinese officials said.
China expels brother of former senior official from Communist Party over graft
BEIJING (Reuters) – The brother of a former top Chinese presidential aide has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and public office, the government said on Friday, paving the way for his prosecution for violations such as accepting bribes.
