South Korea ruling party in close races after ferry disaster
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s conservative party fought close races on Wednesday in regional and mayoral elections seen as a referendum on the government’s handling of a ferry disaster that killed more than 300 people in Apri…
Poland can only be free and safe inside euro zone: Walesa
WARSAW (Reuters) – Lech Walesa, onetime leader of the pro-democracy Solidarity trade union that ended communism in Poland, said his country should join the euro zone to become fully free and safe from Russia, its former imperial overlord.
China again dismisses Philippine court case in sea dispute
MANILA (Reuters) – China on Wednesday rejected an arbitration tribunal’s ruling giving it six months to respond to a case filed by the Philippines over disputed waters, saying it has no plans to take part.
German Eurosceptics gain support before EU alliance decision
BERLIN (Reuters) – Support for Germany’s Eurosceptical AfD party has hit a record high in a new poll released on Wednesday, when a European Union political bloc that includes Britain’s ruling Conservatives is due to decide whether to admit the German p…
White House welcomes Sisi election, presses Egypt over rights
WARSAW (Reuters) – The United States said on Wednesday it looked forward to working with former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as Egypt’s president but expressed concerns about the “restrictive political environment” in which he was elected.
Libyan renegade general survives assassination attempt: sources
BENGHAZI Libya (Reuters) – A Libyan renegade general survived an attempt to kill him outside Benghazi on Wednesday, army sources said.
The three fingers in Thailand – anti-coup, pro-coup or Hunger Games?
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Supporters of Thailand’s military junta are trying to hijack a gesture used by demonstrators opposed to last month’s coup, saying the three-fingered salute signifies the ills of the deposed government, and not resistance to the take…
Gazprom, Naftogaz to continue talks to try to settle gas dispute: agencies
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian gas company Gazprom and Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz will continue talks in Berlin on Wednesday to try to settle a gas dispute, Russian news agencies quoted Ukraine’s energy minister as saying.
Suspected suicide bomber kills two Pakistan military officers
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A suspected suicide bomber attacked a Pakistani security forces vehicle in Rawalpindi, home to army headquarters, on Wednesday, killing five people including two officers, a military source said.
Australia opens tender for next phase in Malaysia Airlines search
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia began the process of finding a private contractor on Wednesday to take over the hunt for a missing Malaysia Airlines plane after three months of military-led searches failed to find any trace of its wreckage.
