China says some victims of land clash burned alive
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese villagers kidnapped construction workers, tied them up, doused them in gasoline and set it ablaze when a land dispute turned violent, the government said on Thursday, providing grisly details of the latest bout of rural unre…
Japan’s trade minister apologises over reports political funds misused
TOKYO (Reuters) – In a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his newly appointed trade minister was ensnared in controversy on Thursday after reports that her political funds were spent buying theatre tickets for supporters and goods from relatives’ busin…
Rescuers search for dozens of trekkers after deadly Nepal snow
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Mountain rescue teams in Nepal searched for scores of missing trekkers on Thursday after unseasonal blizzards and avalanches killed at least 20 people along the high altitude Annapurna mountain route popular with backpackers.
Merkel urges EU to keep up reforms as crisis not over
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament on Thursday that Europe must push ahead with efforts to cut public deficits and improve competitiveness because the euro zone debt crisis has not yet been overcome and its causes have n…
Merkel ally leaves option open of arming PKK
BERLIN (Reuters) – A senior ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has left open the possibility of arming the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as part of efforts to defeat Islamic State (IS) militants.
Australian naval base in lockdown, bomb squad called
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A naval base in the Australian state of Victoria went into lockdown and a police bomb squad was sent to the scene to investigate unspecified “hazardous material”, security officials said on Thursday.
Taiwan considers permanent armed ships for disputed South China Sea island
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan is considering stationing armed vessels permanently on a disputed South China Sea island, officials said, a move bound to renew friction in a region claimed almost wholly by China, with Vietnam already dismissing such a plan a…
EU, China agree to step up cooperation against terrorism: EU
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Leaders from China and the European Union agreed to step up cooperation to counter extremism and terrorism in the Middle East and Africa, the EU said on Thursday.
Brazil presidential race heading for Oct 26 photo finish
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s most unpredictable presidential election in a generation is heading toward a photo finish on Oct. 26 between leftist incumbent Dilma Rousseff and pro-business challenger Aecio Neves, two new polls showed on Wednesday.
U.S.-led air strikes intensify as Syria conflict destabilizes Turkey
MURSITPINAR Turkey/ISTANBUL (Reuters) – American-led forces have sharply intensified air strikes in the past two days against Islamic State fighters threatening Kurds on Syria’s Turkish border after the jihadists’ advance began to destabilize Turkey.
