Sea row not a problem between China and Southeast Asia group, Beijing says
BEIJING (Reuters) – The South China Sea dispute is not a problem between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China opposes certain member states trying to use it to sow discord, its foreign ministry said.
Chinese elite push for release of jailed Nobel laureate
BEIJING (Reuters) – A group of “princelings”, children of China’s political elite, has quietly urged the Communist Party leadership to release jailed Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo on parole to improve the country’s international image, two sources said.
China says no waste plant without support after protests
BEIJING (Reuters) – A government in eastern China will shelve plans to build a huge waste incinerator if it does not have popular support, in an apparent victory for protesters who had clashed with police saying they feared the plant would damage their…
Indian election front-runner could curb beef exports
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s main Hindu nationalist party says it plans to clamp down on beef exports if it takes power after general elections that end on Monday, threatening supplies from one of the world’s biggest shippers of the meat.
Kidnappers in Nigeria’s Delta release three Dutch nationals: police
YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) – Kidnappers in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region released three Dutch nationals held since May 4, Anka Mustapha, a spokesman for Bayelsa state’s Joint Task Force, which includes the military and police, told Reuters on Saturday.
South Africa’s Zuma promises growth after army crackdown on protests
PRETORIA (Reuters) – South African President Jacob Zuma promised on Saturday to push through business-friendly reforms, signaling he would use a sweeping election victory to pursue economic growth in the face of leftist opposition.
Ukraine warns of ‘abyss’ as rebel east approaches self-rule vote
MARIUPOL/SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) – Ukrainian leader Oleksander Turchinov warned pro-Russian eastern regions they would be stepping into the abyss if they voted for self-rule on Sunday in a referendum that has raised Western fears of a slide to ful…
Turkish PM Erdogan heckles lawyer’s speech, storms out
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan heckled the head of the country’s bar association on Saturday, accusing him of rudeness for speaking critically of the government at a judicial ceremony before storming out of the hall.
North Korea renews threat of nuclear test
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea renewed a threat on Saturday to conduct a nuclear test amid heightened concern that the reclusive state with a stockpile of missiles may set off an atomic device for the fourth time on the path to building a nuclear arsena…
Venezuela’s Maduro rails at ‘stupid’ U.S. sanctions calls
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has reacted furiously to calls in the United States for punitive measures against his government for alleged rights abuses in response to three months of street protests.
