Bangladesh clamps down on opposition amid violent clashes
DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh has stepped up a crackdown on the main opposition party, arresting its vice-president amid anti-government protests that have left seven dead and injured hundreds.
North Korea rejects call from South’s parliament for talks
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea rejected on Friday a South Korean call for the resumption of stalled talks, a setback for efforts to reduce tension on the peninsula after the North Korean leader made a surprise New Year call for a summit.
Danish newspaper says won’t print Prophet cartoons
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which angered Muslims by publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad 10 years ago, will not republish Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons due to security concerns, the only major Danish newspaper not to do …
Polish post-Communist premier Oleksy dies aged 68
WARSAW (Reuters) – Jozef Oleksy, who as a senior Polish civil servant helped to negotiate the end of Communist rule in 1989 and later became prime minister of a democratic Poland, died on Friday aged 68, a party spokeswoman said.
Thai assembly begins impeachment hearing against former PM Yingluck
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s parliament began an impeachment hearing against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday that could lead to her being banned from politics for five years and stoke tension in the divided country.
Syria’s al Qaeda attacks besieged Shi’ite villages
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front and other Sunni Muslim militants fought during the night to capture two Shi’ite villages in the country’s north but were repelled, activists on both sides of the war and a monitoring group said…
London imam Abu Hamza to be sentenced for U.S. terrorism conviction
NEW YORK (Reuters) – For years, the radical imam Abu Hamza al-Masri delivered incendiary sermons at a London mosque, using words that U.S. and UK authorities say helped inspire a generation of militants, including British would-be shoe bomber Richard R…
China punishes 17 officials after Xinjiang attack
BEIJING (Reuters) – China punished 17 officials in Xinjiang for security lapses surrounding deadly explosions and riots in September, state media said, as the Communist Party boss in the western region warned the fight against “terrorism” had entered a…
Momentum builds in Australia to iron out voting quirks, end gridlock
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Momentum is building in Australia for electoral change that could see tiny single issue parties blamed for U.S.-style gridlock in the upper house senate squeezed out, clearing the way for budget reforms as the economy slows.
China bans private drivers in taxi app clampdown
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s transport ministry has banned taxi hailing apps such as Uber Technologies Inc and local rivals Kuaidi Dache and Didi Dache from using cars and drivers without taxi licenses in a bid to regulate the rapidly growing sector.
