Asylum seekers in the West highest since Bosnia war: UNHCR
GENEVA (Reuters) – Wars in Syria and Iraq drove the number of people requesting asylum in industrialized countries to a 22-year high last year, the United Nations said on Thursday, appealing for Western nations to open their doors to more refugees.
Vietnam industrial zone accident kills 14, 30 injured
HANOI (Reuters) – – Vietnamese soldiers and police joined a rescue mission on Thursday searching for survivors after a huge scaffolding collapsed, killing 14 workers and injuring 30 in central Vietnam, the government and state television said.
Chinese police raid office of prominent NGO: co-founder
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police officers raided the office of a prominent non-governmental organization in Beijing this week, seizing laptops and details of contacts, its co-founder said on Thursday, the latest target of China’s crackdown on dissent…
China’s Xi says miscarriages of justice must be tackled properly
BEIJING (Reuters) – Miscarriages of justice must be properly tackled or it will damage the country’s efforts to boost the rule of law, state media quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping as saying, following a series of embarrassing cases that have incited…
UK Supreme Court to rule on disclosure of Prince Charles letters
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Supreme Court will rule on Thursday whether “particularly frank” letters sent by Prince Charles to ministers should be published, a step that could leave the heir to the throne vulnerable to accusations of political meddlin…
New Afghan president warns of ‘terrible threat’ from Islamic State
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s new president, Ashraf Ghani, warned U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday of the “terrible threat” the Islamic State poses in Asia, and said the militant group is already sending fighters to his country.
Investigators hope cockpit tape will explain Airbus crash
SEYNE-LES-ALPES/PARIS (Reuters) – Investigators have retrieved cockpit voice recordings from one of the “black boxes” of the German jet that crashed in the Alps, killing everyone onboard, and they expect a preliminary read-out of their content in days,…
U.S. wants detailed deal with Iran but hints at flexibility
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) – The United States wants major powers to reach a detailed political understanding with Iran by March 31 to clear the path for a long-term nuclear accord, a senior U.S. official said, while hinting that Washington could …
Kremlin critic says under pressure not to return to Russia
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Kremlin critic Ilya Ponomaryov said on Wednesday he was under pressure from state authorities not to return to Russia after reports that the country’s prosecutors asked parliament to lift his immunity from prosecution as a lawmaker.
U.S.-led coalition, Iraqis pound Islamic State in Tikrit
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S.-led coalition warplanes launched their first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Tikrit on Wednesday, officials said, coming off the sidelines to aid Iraqi forces fighting alongside Iran-backed Shi’ite militi…
