Syrian election candidate praises Assad’s war on rebels, wants ties with West
DAMASCUS (Reuters) – One of President Bashar al-Assad’s two challengers in next month’s election praised his military campaign against Islamist rebels but said Syria must do more to maintain ties with the West and rebuild its economy after three years …
Thai protest leader promises final push for alternative PM
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Anti-government protesters in Thailand are to stage mass rallies in coming days to try to get a new prime minister installed, but their leader said if this final push in a six-month fight did not succeed, he would surrender to the a…
Suspected Boko Haram rebels attack Chinese plant in Cameroon
ABUJA (Reuters) – Suspected rebels from Nigeria’s Islamist militant group Boko Haram attacked a Chinese plant in northern Cameroon near the town of Waza, a local governor told Reuters on Saturday.
China detains two rights lawyers in widening crackdown on activists
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police detained two prominent human rights lawyers this week, the latest arrests in a growing crackdown on dissent that has targeted rights activists and journalists.
China arrests suspects of Xinjiang station bombing
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police have arrested seven people suspected of involvement in the train station attack and bombing last month in the western city of Urumqi, state-backed newspaper Global Times reported on Saturday.
Third poll gives Zuluaga edge over Santos in Colombia presidential race
CARTAGENA (Reuters) – Colombia’s right-wing presidential candidate Oscar Ivan Zuluaga is edging ahead of President Juan Manuel Santos in three voter polls after a survey published on Friday also showed Santos’s recently comfortable lead has evaporated …
Former China Resources executive under investigation – anti-graft body
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A former executive of state-owned China Resources (Holdings) Co. Ltd, a conglomerate of energy, land and consumer businesses in mainland China and Hong Kong, is under investigation, China’s top anti-corruption body said.
Colombia a step closer to peace with pact to fight drugs
HAVANA/BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s FARC rebels reached a landmark agreement with the government toward eliminating the illegal drug trade and called a weeklong ceasefire on Friday, giving a political boost to President Juan Manuel Santos in his re-el…
Ukrainian foreign minister calls on West to impose tougher sanctions on Russia
BERLIN (Reuters) – The West should impose tougher sanctions on Russia, which is waging a “hidden war” in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine’s acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia said in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt.
Obama’s Asia pivot tested by China’s bold maritime claims
WASHINGTON/MANILA (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama sought to reassure allies in Asia last month that the United States would support them in the face of a more assertive China.
