Russia still mulling food import ban: agency
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s food safety watchdog on Thursday said its spokesman’s comments on threatened retaliatory bans of food imports from the United States and European Union reflected his personal views, as a list of targeted items had yet to be …
Australia may ease immigration rules as it eyes Chinese millionaires
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia may ease rules on a visa scheme aimed at luring investment from wealthy Chinese to help clear a backlog of applications and in the wake of complaints that disclosure requirements are too strict, lawyers and migration agents…
Pakistan arrests activists ahead of planned political protests
LAHORE Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistani security forces have arrested dozens of political activists as the government braces for two major political protests in the next week.
Russia bans all U.S. food, EU fruit and vegetables in sanctions response; NATO fears invasion
MOSCOW/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Russia will ban all imports of food from the United States and all fruit and vegetables from Europe, the state news agency reported on Wednesday, a sweeping response to Western sanctions imposed over its support for r…
China says Japan fighter jets shadowed its planes over disputed waters
BEIJING (Reuters) – Japanese fighter jets shadowed Chinese aircraft patrolling over disputed waters, China’s Ministry of Defense said on Thursday, in the latest flare-up of a spat over air space that has deepened a rift between the two countries.
U.S., Iran to hold nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senior U.S. and Iranian officials will hold nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said, as the two sides seek to break a logjam over Tehran’s atomic program.
Canadian couple set up agency to help fund North Korean aid trips: friend
VANCOUVER/TORONTO (Reuters) – A Canadian couple detained in China amid spying allegations made regular trips to deliver goods to North Korea, their close friend and pastor said on Wednesday, and set up a British Columbia-based organization to collect f…
China tells South Korea it blocked KakaoTalk, Line to fight terrorism
SEOUL (Reuters) – Chinese authorities say they have blocked messaging apps KakaoTalk and Line as part of efforts to fight terrorism, South Korea said on Thursday, the first official explanation of service disruptions in China that began a month ago.
Colombia court bars rebels guilty of atrocities from public office
BOGOTA (Reuters) – A Colombian high court ruled on Wednesday that Marxist rebels found guilty of atrocious war crimes cannot hold public office, a decision that may block some FARC leaders from entering politics and complicate negotiations to end five …
U.S. and Iranian officials to hold nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, says U.S. State Department
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. and Iranian officials will hold nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said in a statement issued late on Wednesday, as leaders seek to break a logjam between Tehran and six major powers on the nuclea…
