South Africa’s mines minister: from hunter to strike buster
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – In his spare time, South Africa’s tough new mines minister, Ngoako Ramatlhodi, enjoys stalking game with a rifle in the wild bush of his native Limpopo province.
Ukraine separatists down army helicopter, 14 killed
DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Pro-Russian separatists shot down a Ukrainian army helicopter on Thursday, killing 14 soldiers including a general, as government forces pressed ahead with an offensive to crush rebellions in the east swiftly following the e…
Australia says missing Malaysia plane not where ‘pings’ heard
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The search for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner suffered a further setback on Thursday after Australian officials said wreckage from the aircraft was not on the seabed in the area they had identified.
Special Report: The rifts behind Nigeria’s mass kidnap
CHIBOK/ABUJA (Reuters) – When local people warned that hundreds of Islamist militants were heading towards his remote town of Chibok in northeastern Nigeria, Danuma Mphur hurried to summon help.
France makes U-turn on non-EU residents’ right to vote
PARIS (Reuters) – France is putting on hold plans to give its non-EU residents the right to vote in local elections, the country’s interior minister has said, reneging on an electoral promise made by Francois Hollande during his 2012 presidential campa…
Kurdish militants kill Turkish state militia member as unrest grows
DIYARBAKIR Turkey (Reuters) – Kurdish guerrillas shot dead a state-sponsored militia member in southeast Turkey, the armed forces said on Thursday, escalating tensions in the region after days of protests at the building of new military outposts.
North Korea agrees to reopen probe into Japan abductees
TOKYO (Reuters) – North Korea has agreed to reopen an investigation into the fate of Japanese citizens it kidnapped decades ago, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday, a potential breakthrough in a bitter dispute between Tokyo and Pyongya…
Rebels shoot down Ukraine helicopter, 14 dead: acting president
KIEV (Reuters) – Pro-Russian separatists on Thursday shot down a Ukrainian military helicopter in eastern Ukraine and 14 people on board, including a general, were killed, acting President Oleksander Turchinov told parliament.
India’s Modi invites Chinese president to visit
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday to visit, seeking greater engagement between the world’s two most populous nations on trade and regional security.
As Asia frets over China, warmer welcome likely for Japan PM’s push
SINGAPORE/TOKYO (Reuters) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s message of a bigger global security role for Japan when he speaks at a regional forum this week is likely to find a receptive audience as concerns grow in Asia about China – although some will ref…
