Obama hails security pact with Philippines, says no threat to China
MANILA (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said a new military pact signed with the Philippines on Monday granting a larger presence for U.S. forces would bolster the Southeast Asian country’s maritime security, but was not aimed at countering China’s g…
Thai opposition leader meets military head as crisis deepens
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva met the head of the armed forces on Monday to discuss ways to avert a showdown between rival political factions next month that threatens more bloodshed and economic damage.
Mediators want South Sudan leaders to meet to end killings
NAIROBI (Reuters) – International mediators have called on South Sudan’s rebel leader to meet his rival President Salva Kiir to prevent an ethnic-fuelled conflict turning into a civil war or genocide, one of the envoys who met Riek Machar last week sai…
Slovenian court confirms jail sentence for ex-PM Jansa
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) – A Slovenian higher court on Monday upheld the jail sentence passed on opposition leader and former prime minister Janez Jansa for bribery in a 2006 arms deal, the top state prosecutor said.
Putin critic Navalny gets reprieve as court finds fault with case
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Moscow court on Monday returned a theft case against opposition leader Alexei Navalny to prosecutors on Monday, Russian news agencies reported, handing a reprieve to the one of President Vladimir Putin’s biggest critics.
20 killed as bombers attack police and troops voting in Iraq
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Twenty people were killed on Monday as suicide bombers attacked Iraqi police and soldiers casting their vote early for a national election in two days’ time, authorities and witnesses said.
Serbia’s new prime minister expects IMF deal by July
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbia’s new Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday he expected the Balkan country to sign a loan deal with the International Monetary Fund by July at the latest.
French PM appeals to rebel Socialist lawmakers on savings plan
PARIS (Reuters) – French Prime Minister Manuel Valls sought to appease rebel Socialist lawmakers on Monday, offering to exempt the country’s poorest from a welfare spending freeze intended to address EU criticism of its budget.
Bulgaria charges two senior magistrates with embezzlement
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgarian prosecutors charged two senior magistrates on Monday with embezzling European Union funds in a scandal that has further dented public trust in the judiciary system of the EU’s poorest member state.
Nigeria can handle Boko Haram, part of ‘raw democracy’, says minister
ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria is preparing a special development plan for its poor, violence-hit northeast and increasing spending to counter an Islamist revolt there that could dent growth in Africa’s No. 1 oil producer if it worsens, the country’s financ…
