Gold, diamonds fuelling conflict in Central African Republic: U.N. panel
DAKAR (Reuters) – Gold and diamond sales are being used to finance conflict in Central African Republic and United Nations peacekeepers should monitor mining sites to clamp down on illicit trade, a U.N. panel of experts said.
Britain loath to pressure China over Hong Kong because of trade: former governor
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is not putting enough pressure on China to stick to its side of a pact on the transfer of Hong Kong’s sovereignty because it is worried about damaging trade links, former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten said on Tuesday.
Resource-rich Mongolia ousts prime minister amid economic downturn
ULAN BATOR (Reuters) – Mongolia’s parliament voted on Wednesday to remove Prime Minister Norov Altankhuyag amid concerns about a serious economic downturn as gold, copper and coal prices and foreign direct investment slump.
Czech billionaire’s political rise inspires some, alarms others
PRAGUE (Reuters) – In just three years, Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babis has managed to expand smoothly beyond business into politics and now appears poised to be a contender for prime minister.
China warns Tibet party members not to harbor separatist ‘fantasies’ about Dalai Lama
BEIJING (Reuters) – A top Chinese official has vowed to severely punish members of the ruling Communist Party in Tibet who “harbor fantasies” about the troubled region’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, state media said on Wednesday.
School bus crash in Egypt kills 16: state news
CAIRO (Reuters) – At least 16 people, mostly children, were killed on Wednesday when a school bus crashed into three other vehicles on a desert road in the Nile Delta north of Cairo, state television said.
Japan’s wrecked nuclear plant removes first set of spent fuel rods
TOKYO (Reuters) – The operator of Japan’s wrecked Fukushima atomic plant removed 400 tonnes of spent uranium fuel from a damaged reactor building, the first of four sets of used rods to be removed in a cleanup expected to last decades.
Taliban group threatens to attack India following border blast
PESHAWAR Pakistan (Reuters) – A new Pakistani Taliban group behind this week’s devastating suicide bombing on the Pakistani-Indian border said on Wednesday the attack was as much aimed at India as Pakistan, suggesting that Indian targets might be next….
Dutch PM says thorough, independent probe needed for downed Flight MH17
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday stressed the importance of a thorough, independent investigation of the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 before any decision on where those responsible should face tria…
Egypt levels Sinai homes in new strategy against Islamist militants
IBSHAR Egypt (Reuters) – At Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip, families are emptying their homes – lugging mattresses and furniture onto waiting vans as soldiers look on from armored cars.
