Crisis talks in the Netherlands after health bill shot down
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Leaders in the centre-right Dutch government were set to continue crisis talks on Thursday after a health bill submitted by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s party was shot down in the Senate by coalition allies.
Support for Swedish coalition rises after call for snap vote: poll
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Support for Sweden’s Social Democrat-Green ruling coalition has grown after the government earlier in December said it planned to call a snap election, a poll published in daily Dagens Nyheter showed on Thursday.
Social media: the hostage that eluded Sydney siege gunman
SYDNEY (Reuters) – One hostage the Sydney siege gunman failed to take this week was social media.
Book Talk: War on Afghan frontline, by a female soldier
KABUL (Reuters) – Chantelle Taylor is a former combat medic who fought in one of Britain’s bloodiest battles in Afghanistan and wrote about her experience as a rare woman on the front line.
India tests its heaviest space launch vehicle, eyes global market
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s space agency successfully tested on Thursday its most powerful satellite launch vehicle that can put heavier payloads into space, and, it hopes, win India a bigger slice of the $300 billion global space industry.
Suicide bomber kills one on outskirts of Afghan capital
KABUL (Reuters) – One policeman was killed and two were injured on the outskirts of the Afghan capital on Thursday, in a blast caused by a suicide bomber attempting to enter Kabul in a vehicle laden with explosives, an interior ministry spokesman said….
China police chief who let off drunk son charged with graft
BEIJING (Reuters) – The former police chief of a major city in northern China has been charged with corruption, state media said on Thursday, after he was sacked for allowing his drunk son to be set free, despite having attacked a policeman.
Hungary’s priority is alliance with Germany, minister tells Figyelo
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary’s most important goal in foreign policy next year is to strengthen its alliance with Germany, a minister told the weekly Figyelo on Thursday ahead of an expected visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel.
South Korea balks as U.S. picks Japan, Australia to service F-35s in Asia
WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea said on Thursday it will not send its F-35 fleet to Japan for heavy airframe maintenance, one of the two Asian hubs chosen by the United States to service the Lockheed Martin Corp stealth fighter.
Palestinian U.N. draft calls for Israel occupation end by 2017
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Jordan formally submitted to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday a draft resolution calling for peace between Israel and the Palestinians within one year and an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories by the end of 2017.
