Anti-graft group accuses EU of complacency on corruption
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European lobbyists carry out much of their work in secrecy and there is widespread complacency in Brussels about tackling corruption or conflicts of interest, Transparency International said on Thursday.
Egypt’s army says has ‘complete control’ over Sinai Peninsula
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s military said on Thursday it had gained “complete control over the situation” in the Sinai Peninsula, where Islamist insurgents have been carrying out attacks against security forces for several months.
U.S. vows to help Libya tackle ‘rising violent extremism’
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns on Thursday promised Libya more U.S. help against extremist violence, saying the country could not achieve political or economic stability without tackling its security challenges.
Boy and girl on Korean ferry drowned with life jackets tied together
SEOUL (Reuters) – A boy and girl trapped in a sinking South Korean ferry with hundreds of other high school students tied their life jacket cords together, a diver who recovered their bodies said, presumably so they wouldn’t float apart.
Kashmiris shun polls as Modi challenges for power in India
ANANTNAG, India (Reuters) – Mohammad Amin Pandith, a smallholder and father-of-three from Indian-controlled Kashmir, was lured from his home at night by a man in army uniform, dragged along a potholed lane and shot in the back of the head.
Australia rules out link between debris and Malaysian plane
PERTH/MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Authorities ruled out any link between debris picked up on an Australian beach and a missing Malaysian jetliner on Thursday as a tropical cyclone again threatened to hamper a 26-nation air, surface and underwater search of t…
China says it will maintain patrols near Japan’s new island base
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s defense ministry said on Thursday it will continue military patrols in waters near a tropical Japanese island close to Taiwan, days after Tokyo announced it would break ground on a new radar base in the area.
Former U.S. test site sues nuclear nations for disarmament failure
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The tiny Pacific republic of the Marshall Islands, scene of massive U.S. nuclear tests in the 1950s, sued the United States and eight other nuclear-armed countries on Thursday, accusing them of failing in their obligation to nego…
Hong Kong’s ‘milkshake murderer’ loses bid for final appeal
HONG KONG (Reuters) – American Nancy Kissel, serving a life sentence in a Hong Kong jail for the “milkshake” murder of her Merrill Lynch banker husband, failed in her bid on Thursday for a final appeal against her conviction.
Macedonia’s conservative PM set to win snap election
SKOPJE (Reuters) – Macedonian voters look likely to hand conservative Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski a third term in a snap parliamentary election on Sunday, opting for relative economic stability and shrugging off opposition claims of creeping authori…