‘The people survived’: Vanuatu says death toll won’t jump
PORT VILA (Reuters) – The death toll from the devastating storm that pummeled Vanuatu last weekend will not rise significantly, the prime minister of the South Pacific island nation said on Thursday.
Thai Supreme Court accepts criminal case against former PM Yingluck
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s Supreme Court accepted a criminal case against ousted former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday on a charge of mishandling a multibillion dollar rice subsidy scheme, and she could be jailed for 10 years if fou…
Indonesian court delays decision on Australian death row convicts
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Two Australian drug convicts on death row in Indonesia will not be executed this month after a court on Thursday postponed their appeal hearing against the rejection of a request for presidential clemency.
Pakistan convict dressed in white for hanging before last-minute stay
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A Pakistani man charged as a child with murder was dressed in a white uniform, ready for hanging, and told to write his will before the execution was postponed, his family said on Thursday.
South Pacific’s Vanuatu provides lessons in cyclone survival
PORT VILA/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Villagers in Vanuatu buried food and fresh water as one of the strongest storms on record bore down on them, fleeing to churches, schools and even coconut drying kilns as 300 kph winds and massive seas tore their flimsy hou…
Putin to meet top aide to Chinese president in Moscow
MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin will meet a close aide to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, the Kremlin said, underlining Russia’s increased effort to establish closer ties with Beijing as its relations with the West have deteriorat…
China appoints new ambassador to North Korea
BEIJING (Reuters) – The Chinese government has appointed a new ambassador to North Korea, an important and sensitive diplomatic post at the center of efforts to get the reclusive country to end its nuclear weapons ambitions.
Greek PM demands EU stop ‘unilateral actions’ as tensions flare
ATHENS/BERLIN (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras lambasted European partners on Wednesday for criticizing a new anti-poverty law hours before it was voted on, saying it was the euro zone rather than Athens that must stop “unilateral action…
Exclusive: U.S. likely to delay planned closure of two Afghanistan bases
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military bases in Kandahar and Jalalabad are likely to remain open beyond the end of 2015, a senior U.S. official said, as Washington considers slowing its military pull-out from Afghanistan to help the new government fi…
Ukraine peace plan creaks amid fresh Russian-Ukrainian dispute
KIEV (Reuters) – A peace plan to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine came under renewed strain on Wednesday, with Ukraine and Russia clashing publicly over the next steps and further Ukrainian military casualties from rebel attacks testing a fragile ce…
