Top diplomats set to meet to discuss China, South Korea, Japan summit
SEOUL (Reuters) – The foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan and China are preparing to meet this month for their first talks in nearly three years in a bid to resolve tensions over Japan’s wartime past and discuss a trilateral summit.
Canadian PM’s comments on Muslim veil set off Twitter flurry
VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Twitter users turned to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for tongue-in-cheek fashion advice on Wednesday, the day after he said the niqab, a face covering veil worn by some Muslims, was rooted in an “anti-women” culture.
Islamic State ransacks Assyrian capital as Iraq appeals for help
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Islamic State militants have desecrated another ancient Iraqi capital, the government said on Wednesday, razing parts of the 2,700-year-old city of Khorsabad famed for its colossal statues of human-headed winged bulls.
Mafia thrives on Italy’s legalized gambling addiction
ROME (Reuters) – Legalizing gambling in Italy was supposed to help curb the mafia. Unfortunately, prosecutors say, it has only created new opportunities for the mob.
IMF seeks ‘immediate’ stabilization in latest Ukraine bailout
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund has agreed to pump $10 billion into Ukraine’s troubled economy over the next year, providing swift assistance for the country’s struggling finances as part of a larger four-year bailout.
China defends Sri Lankan project in test of its push to invest abroad
COLOMBO/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s suspension of a project to build a glittering skyline on land reclaimed from the Indian Ocean has prompted China to defend its investment, in a test of Beijing’s ambitions to fund loans and major infrastructure…
Aid groups say U.N. Security Council failed Syria, 2014 worst year yet
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Aid agencies said on Thursday that 2014 was the worst year of the Syrian conflict so far and that three United Nations Security Council resolutions aimed at alleviating the suffering had failed.
Mafia thrives on Italy’s legalized gambling addiction
ROME (Reuters) – Legalizing gambling in Italy was supposed to help curb the mafia. Unfortunately, prosecutors say, it has only created new opportunities for the mob.
Mind your manners, Venezuela tells U.S. official Jacobson
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s top diplomat called a senior U.S. official “petulant” and ill-mannered on Wednesday in response to her contention that sanctions were intended to change the government, not topple it.
U.N. peacekeepers barred seven Congolese officers over rights records
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo barred seven Congolese army and police officers from receiving support after ruling there was a “real risk” they could commit human rights abuses, ac…
