Putin plays cat and mouse with Russian online critics
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Before the Internet, Anton Nossik remembers painstakingly copying out Soviet dissident Joseph Brodsky’s forbidden writings on a clattering typewriter for samizdat publications.
Japan’s First Lady speaks out on sales tax, nuclear power
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese First Lady Akie Abe – often called the “household opposition” for her penchant to speak out – said on Thursday the country should consider cutting wasteful spending and boosting the economy before going ahead with a rise in t…
UAE calls for ‘unified effort’ against militancy in region
DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of Washington’s closest allies in the Middle East, has called for a “unified effort” to root out radical militancy in regional hotspots including Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Afghanistan.
Police probe staff at China business daily, PR firms for graft: Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police have arrested eight people, including several editorial staff from a prominent financial newspaper, on suspicion of extorting money from businesses, the official Xinhua news agency said on Thursday.
Attack on Somali Islamist leader seen triggering power struggle
NAIROBI (Reuters) – A hail of U.S. missiles aimed at the leader of Somalia’s al Shabaab militants may have left a gaping hole in the group’s leadership, potentially the biggest challenge to its unity since it emerged as a fighting force eight years ago…
NZ National governemnt escapes poll punishment amid scandal
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has shrugged off a lingering ‘dirty tricks’ political scandal, and his center-right National Party is on course for a big victory in this month’s general election, opinion polls show.
Thai PM vows reform council to include people from all walks of life
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday set out broad criteria for the selection of a 250-member council to draw up sweeping political reforms and approve a new constitution, saying people from all walks of life would be i…
For Fiji’s military rulers, U.N. peacekeeping a useful mask
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The capture of U.N. peacekeeping soldiers from Fiji in the Golan Heights last week has shone a light on a quiet export industry that has for decades drummed up cash for the Pacific nation and polished the tattered image of its milita…
Swedish opposition lead stable, Feminists clear parliament threshold-poll
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden’s center-left opposition parties’ lead over the governing coalition was stable in the past week and the Social Democrats, Green and Left parties would get 48.1 percent of votes if an election were held now, an opinion poll …
In northeast Syria, Islamic State builds a government
BEIRUT (Reuters) – In the cities and towns across the desert plains of northeast Syria, the ultra-hardline al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State has insinuated itself into nearly every aspect of daily life.
