China says detained ship involved in ‘normal trade cooperation’
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a ship detained in Colombia for illegally transporting arms and operated by China’s largest shipping group was involved in “normal trade cooperation”.
Afghan leader orders graft review for all army supply contracts
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered a review of all military logistics contracts after cancelling a $280 million fuel supply deal over allegations the bidding process was rigged, officials said.
Syria’s Nusra Front may leave Qaeda to form new entity
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Leaders of Syria’s Nusra Front are considering cutting their links with al Qaeda to form a new entity backed by some Gulf states trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad, sources said.
Australian court backs finding radio royal prank call broke law
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s High Court on Wednesday backed the broadcasting watchdog’s finding that an Australian radio station broke the law with a prank call to a British hospital taking care of the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, paving the way fo…
China says NGOs need regulating for national security reasons
BEIJING (Reuters) – China needs to better regulate foreign non-governmental organizations (NGO) operating in the country for national security reasons, an official said on Wednesday, as the government drafts a law that has unnerved many aid groups.
China defense budget rise to defy slowing economy
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s defense budget this year will rise about 10 percent compared with 2014, a top government official said on Wednesday, outpacing the slowing economy as the country ramps up investment in high-tech equipment such as submarines …
U.S.-Venezuela diplomacy row deepens over embassy staffing
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States said on Tuesday it would respond through diplomatic channels to Venezuela’s demand for a cut in U.S. Embassy staff in Caracas, but added that Caracas had drastically underestimated its own diplomatic presence in…
Nepal tells Mount Everest litterbugs to take out the trash
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Six decades after the first conquest of the world’s highest peak, tons of rubbish and human waste abandoned by hundreds of Mount Everest climbers is starting to raise a stink.
Israel’s Netanyahu draws rebuke from Obama over Iran speech to Congress
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the United States on Tuesday that it was negotiating a bad deal with Iran that could spark a “nuclear nightmare,” drawing a rebuke from President Barack Obama and exposing a deepen…
U.S. military’s Mosul briefing inaccurate, misguided, Carter says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. military official who briefed news media about Iraq’s upcoming offensive to retake Mosul provided inaccurate information but should never have publicly discussed war plans anyway, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesd…
