Indonesian maid says tortured with vacuum cleaner tube in Hong Kong abuse case
HONG KONG (Reuters) – An Indonesian domestic helper told a Hong Kong court on Monday that she had been tortured by her employer, with a vacuum cleaner tube placed in her mouth and twisted to cause lacerations, public broadcaster RTHK said.
Hong Kong splinter groups fast-track rearguard action ahead of camp clearance
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Splinter protest groups calling for democracy for Hong Kong are springing up and fast-tracking action plans as student-led demonstrators consider a retreat from the main campsite which has blocked key downtown arteries for more th…
China angered by U.S. bill allowing Taiwan warship sale
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry rebuked the U.S. Congress on Monday after legislators passed a bill allowing the sale of second-hand warships to Taiwan, the self-ruled island which Beijing claims as a renegade province.
Kosovo lawmakers to vote in new government led by capital’s ex-mayor
PRISTINA (Reuters) – Lawmakers in Kosovo will vote in a new government on Monday led by former Pristina mayor Isa Mustafa, with outgoing Prime Minister Hashim Thaci becoming foreign minister, a senior aide to Thaci said.
Rich countries urged to take 5 percent of Syrian refugees: TRFN
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Rich countries should agree to take at least 5 percent of all Syrian refugees by the end of 2015, aid agencies said as pressure mounts ahead of a major conference on the crisis.
Myanmar men plead not guilty to murder of British tourists
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Two Myanmar workers have pleaded not guilty to charges including murder over the killing of two British tourists in Thailand, their lawyer said on Monday, in a case that has hit tourism and attracted widespread criticism.
Methamphetamine use soars in Iran as lifestyles speed up
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Women in headscarves and men in tatty clothes puff on a glass pipe as smoke swirls around their faces. The pictures published by Iranian media and blogs in recent months are a sign of a new drug epidemic: shishe, or methamphetamine.
Japan PM Abe’s LDP on track for landslide in December 14 vote: media
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling party is on track for a landslide victory in a Dec. 14 election and could take a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament even without its coalition partner, a media projection s…
Mexico says evidence proves missing students were incinerated
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico said on Sunday that mounting evidence and initial DNA tests confirmed that 43 trainee teachers abducted by corrupt police 10 weeks ago were incinerated at a garbage dump by drug gang members, although forensic experts sou…
Congo’s Kabila names new government in bid to broaden political base
KINSHASA (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila announced the formation of a new government on Sunday in a shake-up apparently aimed at broadening his political base ahead of a possible constitutional showdown.
