China sacks vice-head of parliament advisory body after probe
BEIJING (Reuters) – A vice-chairman of China’s top parliamentary advisory body has been sacked, becoming the latest senior official to fall from grace, after the ruling Communist Party said he was being investigated for graft, state media said on Wedne…
North Korea slams U.S. movie on leader assassination plot
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea on Wednesday denounced a forthcoming American comedy film featuring a plot to assassinate its leader Kim Jong Un as an act of terrorism and threatened to unleash a “merciless counter-measure” if Washington failed to ban th…
U.S. Ambassador Baucus says China hacking threatens national security
BEIJING (Reuters) – Cyber theft of trade secrets by China is a threat to U.S. national security, U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus said on Wednesday in the first major public address of his tenure, warning that Washington would continue to pressure B…
Bahrain opposition leader cleared of terrorism charges: lawyer
MANAMA (Reuters) – A senior member of Bahrain’s Shi’ite opposition was cleared of terrorism charges on Wednesday, one of his defense lawyers said, a move that could help troubled talks with the government to end months of sporadic unrest.
Merkel says Iraq government must be pressured to embrace all groups
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a speech in parliament on Wednesday that the government in Iraq had failed over a period of years to incorporate the views of all groups in the country and must now be pressured to do so.
India partially rolls back steep railway fare hike
MUMBAI (Reuters) – The Indian government partially rolled back a steep hike in rail passenger fares announced last week after protests from allies, highlighting the political realities facing the new prime minister in his push to cut the country’s mass…
New Chinese map gives greater play to South China Sea claims
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has unveiled a new official map of the country giving greater play to its claims on the South China Sea, state media said on Wednesday, making the disputed waters and its numerous islets and reefs more clearly seem like nation…
Honduran kids flee terror at home, hope for opportunity in U.S.
IXTEPEC Mexico (Reuters) – Driven from home by threats of gang violence and extortion and drawn to the U.S. by hopes of education and opportunity, Carlos, a 15-year-old from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, is stuck in southern Mexico, living in a shelter and…
Soviet industrial giant’s struggle symbolizes Russia’s economic dilemma
YEKATERINBURG Russia (Reuters) – Viktor Livshits will never forget May 9, 1945, the day he first laid eyes on Uralmash, a giant factory making tanks and other heavy machinery that has for decades symbolized Russia’s industrial might.
Special Report: Rebekah Brooks – The tangled tale of a tabloid career
LONDON (Reuters) – On July 7, 2011, at the height of Britain’s phone-hacking scandal, Rebekah Brooks announced the closure of Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper, The News of the World. That evening, she sat with senior colleagues in a restaurant in London’s Chelsea Harbour, fighting back tears.
