Three Ukrainian soldiers killed in further clashes in the east
KIEV (Reuters) – Three Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 27 wounded in clashes with pro-Russian separatist rebels in the east of the country, the military said on Thursday.
Kerry faces uphill battle to defuse Afghan election standoff
KABUL (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive to a sceptical audience in Afghanistan this week to try to resolve a deepening crisis over a disputed presidential election which has stirred ethnic tensions in the fragile country.
China, U.S. to boost security ties, but no breakthroughs
BEIJING (Reuters) – China and the United States agreed on Thursday to boost military ties and counter-terrorism cooperation during high-level annual talks in Beijing, but there was little immediate sign of progress on thorny cyber-security or maritime …
Merkel says spying on allies is a waste of energy
BERLIN (Reuters) – Spying on allies is a waste of energy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday when asked about two suspected U.S. spy cases that have come to light in the last few days and caused anger in Germany.
Bulgaria’s center-right leads in first poll since EU vote
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria’s center-right main opposition GERB party has a five-point lead over the ruling Socialists (BSP), according to the first opinion poll in the European Union’s poorest member state since the May European parliament elections.
Australian minister under fire for not meeting Tamil groups on Sri Lanka trip
COLOMBO (Reuters) – A Tamil group criticised Australia’s immigration minister on Thursday for visiting northern Sri Lanka without meeting Tamil leaders, days after Australia returned a boat of asylum seekers, including Tamils, under its hardline border…
Special Report: All work and no pay for thousands in the Balkans
ZITISTE Serbia 2014 (Reuters) – Complaining they had worked without pay for months late last year, employees of the Serbian farming company Agroziv staged a short strike in January. Why should they work for no money, they said. The company, a poultry p…
China’s top prosecutor orders more transparency in corruption cases
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s top prosecutor has ordered greater transparency in publicising corruption cases involving senior officials, state media reported, as the government steps up efforts to win the public’s confidence in its battle on pervasive g…
China says more than half of foreign aid given to Africa
BEIJING (Reuters) – More than half of China’s foreign aid of over $14 billion between 2010 and 2012 was directed to Africa, the government said on Thursday, underscoring Beijing’s interest in the resource-rich continent to fuel its economy.
Taliban kill six de-miners in western Afghanistan
KABUL (Reuters) – The Taliban shot and killed six people working for a demining company in western Afghanistan, police said on Thursday, a day after the United Nations said the number of civilian casualties in the country jumped by a quarter in the fir…
