IMF chief draws cautious response from Arab countries in call to end subsidies
AMMAN (Reuters) – IMF chief Christine Lagarde urged Arab countries going through democratic change to phase out costly subsidy systems on Monday, but drew a cautious response from regional finance ministers wary of the social impact of such steps.
China says Vietnam efforts to rope in others on spat will fail
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry said on Monday Vietnam’s efforts to garner support over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea would fail, a day after Southeast Asian leaders meeting for a regional summit in Myanmar refrained from cr…
Iceland postpones withdrawal of EU application
REYKJAVIK (Reuters) – Iceland has postponed plans to withdraw its application for European Union membership, the government said on Monday, after protesters called for a referendum.
Healthcare to undergo serious surgery in tough Australian budget
CANBERRA (Reuters) – Healthcare in Australia is set for its biggest shake-up since the introduction of universal coverage in the 1970s, as part of a tough federal budget on Tuesday that critics fret is taking the country towards a U.S.-style system.
U.N. Security Council could vote within days on Syria ICC referral
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – France circulated a draft resolution to U.N. Security Council members on Monday that seeks to refer the three-year-old civil war in Syria to the International Criminal Court for possible prosecution of war crimes and crimes a…
Palestinian foreign minister requests ‘terrorist’ label for militant settlers
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki said on Monday he had asked world powers to classify Israeli settler groups who attack Palestinian communities and holy sites as terrorist organizations.
United Nations names first female peacekeeping mission commander
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations appointed on Monday the first woman to command one of the world body’s peacekeeping operations.
U.N. seeks surveillance drones for Mali, shelves plans for Ivory Coast
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations has shelved plans to deploy surveillance drones as part of its peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast due to improved security, but is now seeking a company to provide the unarmed aircraft for its peacekeeping…
Iran prods Pakistan leader on U.S. ties, security, pipeline
DUBAI (Reuters) – Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran urged Pakistan on Monday to avoid “wicked” U.S. influence and build stronger ties with Tehran, blaming Washington for rising sectarian violence in the Iranian-Pakistani border region that …
Israel holds man suspected by U.S. of breaking Iran arms embargo
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel on Monday detained a citizen suspected by the United States of illegally selling military hardware to Iran and a Jerusalem judge has initially ordered him held for two days, according to court papers.
