Thai anti-graft body charges ex-commerce minister over rice deal
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A former commerce minister and 20 state officials and employees of private firms will be charged for alleged graft related to rice export deals with two Chinese firms, Thailand’s anti-corruption commission said on Tuesday.
Brawl in Nepal parliament as clock ticks on new constitution
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – At least three security marshals were injured in a brawl that broke out in Nepal’s parliament early on Tuesday, with opposition legislators climbing on their chairs and throwing microphones and shoes in a heated debate over the Hi…
Senior Libyan oil official missing: ministry
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – A senior Libyan oil official has been missing since Thursday, a spokesman for state-run National Oil Corporation (NOC) and his ministry said on Tuesday after what was a possible kidnapping.
Dutch court blocks extradition to U.S. over torture concerns
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A Dutch court on Tuesday blocked the extradition of a man accused of having fought against U.S. troops in Afghanistan, saying it could not be ruled out that the CIA had been involved in his torture after his arrest in Pakistan.
China ‘has the power’ to introduce tough security laws in Hong Kong
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Former Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa said on Tuesday tough Chinese national security laws could be introduced in Hong Kong, stoking fears China may tighten control in its southern financial hub after last year’s pro-democracy str…
Egypt’s Sisi says respects right to protest but warns of harm to economy
CAIRO (Reuters) – President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Tuesday people in Egypt have the right to demonstrate but cautioned that protesting now could cause more harm to the country’s battered economy.
Spanish ruling party’s ex-treasurer granted bail in fraud probe
MADRID (Reuters) – The former treasurer of Spain’s ruling People’s Party (PP), in jail awaiting trial on charges of money-laundering and other crimes, has been granted provisional liberty with a bail of 200,000 euros ($231,820), a High Court spokeswoma…
Chinese advisory body set to expel former senior aide to Hu Jintao
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s top parliamentary advisory body is set to expel a one-time senior aide to former president Hu Jintao, state media reported on Tuesday, after the ruling Communist Party announced he was being investigated for corruption.
Syrian refugees at snowed-in camp long for ceasefire
BAR ELIAS, Lebanon (Reuters) – When a deadly snow storm hit Lebanon last week, Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley sheltered in tents made from plastic sheeting and shivered through the night.
U.N. worker kidnapped in Central African Republic: mission
BANGUI (Reuters) – Armed men kidnapped a woman working for the U.N. peacekeeping mission MINUSCA in Central African Republic’s capital Bangui on Tuesday, the mission told Reuters.
