India Hindu group plans religious conversions at Christmas
LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) – A Hindu priest-turned-lawmaker vowed on Friday to convert hundreds of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism on Christmas Day, despite a police investigation into an earlier round of conversions.
UK’s Cameron leaves Northern Ireland without deal to end deadlock
BELFAST (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron left Northern Ireland on Friday without a deal he hoped would end months of political deadlock over financial and cultural disputes in the province.
Pakistan arrests suspected South Asian al Qaeda commander
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani authorities have arrested a man they describe as an important commander in al Qaeda’s newly created South Asian wing, police told Reuters on Friday.
Korean Air executive apologizes after nuts incident sparks national outrage
SEOUL (Reuters) – The former Korean Air Lines executive who delayed a flight because she was unhappy with the way she was served macadamia nuts apologized on Friday over the incident, which fueled outrage and ridicule in South Korea.
French parliament readies new end-of-life legislation
PARIS (Reuters) – French parliament will debate from January a draft law that would move a step closer to euthanasia by allowing a right to “deep and ongoing sedation” until death for terminally ill patients who request it, President Francois Hollande …
HK media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested over democracy protest, quits tabloid
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong publishing tycoon Jimmy Lai, an outspoken critic of Beijing, has stepped down as publisher of the popular Apple Daily after being arrested for refusing to leave a key pro-democracy protest site in the center of the city….
Indonesian editor faces blasphemy accusation over IS cartoon
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Police in Indonesia have name the editor-in-chief of its largest English-language newspaper a suspect in a blasphemy case, the newspaper said in a statement, over a cartoon depicting the Islamic State militant group.
In HK, China likely to use pressure, intimidation to ward off more protests
HONG KONG (Reuters) – As the dust settles on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy ‘Occupy’ protests, China is likely to embark on a sweeping but covert campaign across the territory’s judiciary, media and universities to ensure there is no recurrence, activists a…
Russia’s Lavrov says peace talks in Ukraine needed swiftly: TASS
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated on Friday Moscow’s calls to convene as soon as possible another round of peace talks on the conflict in east Ukraine’s Donbass region, TASS news agency reported.
China expresses regret at U.S. failure to pass IMF reforms
BEIJING (Reuters) – China expressed regret on Friday at the failure of U.S. Congress to pass reforms to give emerging markets greater say at the International Monetary Fund.
