No breakthroughs on trade deal for Australia PM in China
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday that he hoped a free trade agreement with China would be signed before November, offering little progress on a deal at the center of his visit to his country’s largest trade part…
Gold rush threatens West Africa’s cocoa future
YOHO, Ivory Coast (Reuters) – A month ago, Bouafu Kouassi dug a neat circular hole in the middle of his one-hectare cocoa plantation in western Ivory Coast, and, sifting through the gravel on his shovel, found the unmistakable traces of gold dust.
China says Taiwan protests won’t affect relations
BEIJING (Reuters) – Protests by students in Taiwan who occupied the island’s parliament in opposition to a trade pact with China will not affect the development of relations between Beijing and Taipei, state media quoted a top Chinese official as sayin…
Kerry urges end to South Sudan fighting in meeting with senior official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told a senior South Sudan official on Thursday that the Juba government needed to end the fighting in the African country, as the State Department brandished the threat of sanctions.
Philippine, Vietnamese navies to unite against China over beers and volleyball
MANILA/HONG KONG (Reuters) – The Philippine navy will soon return to a South China Sea island it lost to Vietnam 40 years ago to drink beer and play volleyball with Vietnamese sailors, symbolizing how once-suspicious neighbors are cooperating in the fa…
U.N. renews call for human rights monitoring in Western Sahara
VIENNA (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday renewed his appeals for sustained human rights monitoring in the disputed territory of northern Africa’s Western Sahara and warned against unfair exploitation of the region’s natural res…
Magnitude 6.4 quake strikes near Managua in Nicaragua -USGS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck near the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Earthquake shakes Nicaraguan capital: Reuters witness
MANAGUA (Reuters) – An earthquake shook the Nicaraguan capital of Managua on Thursday, a Reuters witness said, knocking out telephone lines and power in some areas, but there were no further details on any impact.
U.N. Security Council OKs peacekeepers for Central African Republic
UNITED NATIONS/BANGUI (Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council on Thursday authorized the creation of a nearly 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic in a bid to end violence between Christians and Muslims that has…
Libya’s coastguard detains more than 400 immigrants en route to Europe
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s coastguard has detained more than 400 immigrants, mostly from the Horn of Africa, in its waters in the past two days as they tried to illegally cross to Europe in small boats, Libyan officials said on Thursday.
