Sri Lankan president considers early election, ally says, amid signs of fading popularity
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa could hold a snap election in January, nearly two years before he has to, a close ally said, amid signs his popularity is fading among people who criticise his party for abusing power.
Al Qaeda in Yemen says it executes 14 soldiers
(Reuters) – Al Qaeda in Yemen posted a video online purporting to show the abduction and execution of 14 soldiers the Sunni Muslim militants alleged were Shi’ite Muslim “apostates”.
Japan says South Korea’s indictment of Japanese reporter ‘extremely regrettable’
TOKYO (Reuters) – The indictment of a Japanese journalist in South Korea for defamation of its president was “extremely regrettable”, Japan said on Thursday, but added that the door for dialogue between the two countries’ leaders should stay open.
U.S. drones strike northwest Pakistan two days running
DERA ISMAIL KHAN Pakistan (Reuters) – A U.S. drone struck a vehicle carrying suspected militants in Pakistan’s volatile northwest on Thursday, intelligence and official sources said, a day after a U.S. drone killed two suspected militants in the same a…
Thousands march in Mexico to demand action over massacre
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Thousands marched through the Mexican capital on Wednesday to demand the government find out what happened to dozens of missing students, who are feared to have been massacred by gang members and police.
Former party boss of China’s Guangzhou accused of extortion
BEIJING (Reuters) – The former Chinese Communist Party boss of the southern city of Guangzhou has been expelled from the party after being accused of extortion, bribery and “visiting private clubs”, state media said on Thursday, the latest official to …
Indonesia resumes search for survivors of Bali boat sinking
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian search and rescue teams on Thursday resumed efforts to find 24 passengers missing after their vessel sank near the resort island of Bali, killing at least 17.
Vietnam oil tanker released by pirates, two sailors injured – company official
HANOI (Reuters) – Pirates that captured a Vietnamese oil tanker last week after it left Singapore have released the vessel, the company that owns the ship said on Thursday.
Threat to Syrian town tests patience for U.S. strategy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The threat from Islamic State fighters to the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani is an early test of the U.S.-led coalition’s patience for a military strategy that at the moment cannot hold ground in Syria.
Italy’s prime minister wins labor reform confidence vote
ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi won the most important parliamentary confidence vote of his eight-month-old government early on Thursday on a labor reform proposal he hopes will boost his EU credentials.
