China to build lighthouses on five isles in defiance of U.S. call
BEIJING (Reuters) – China plans to build lighthouses on five islands in the South China Sea, state media reported on Thursday, in defiance of calls from the United States and the Philippines for a freeze on such activity to ease tension over rival clai…
China imposes new restrictions on instant messaging tools: Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will force real-name registrations on users of instant messaging tools and require public accounts wishing to publish or reprint political news to seek prior approval, state media said on Thursday.
Turkey’s Erdogan says no economic policy changes if he wins presidency
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday there would be no deviation from current economic policies if he is elected president in an election being held on Sunday.
Egypt court jails three men for gang sex attacks
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian court sentenced two men to life imprisonment and a third to 20 years in jail on Thursday, for sexually assaulting and beating women during celebrations held after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s election.
Russia still mulling food import ban: agency
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s food safety watchdog on Thursday said its spokesman’s comments on threatened retaliatory bans of food imports from the United States and European Union reflected his personal views, as a list of targeted items had yet to be …
Australia may ease immigration rules as it eyes Chinese millionaires
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia may ease rules on a visa scheme aimed at luring investment from wealthy Chinese to help clear a backlog of applications and in the wake of complaints that disclosure requirements are too strict, lawyers and migration agents…
Pakistan arrests activists ahead of planned political protests
LAHORE Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistani security forces have arrested dozens of political activists as the government braces for two major political protests in the next week.
Russia bans all U.S. food, EU fruit and vegetables in sanctions response; NATO fears invasion
MOSCOW/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Russia will ban all imports of food from the United States and all fruit and vegetables from Europe, the state news agency reported on Wednesday, a sweeping response to Western sanctions imposed over its support for r…
China says Japan fighter jets shadowed its planes over disputed waters
BEIJING (Reuters) – Japanese fighter jets shadowed Chinese aircraft patrolling over disputed waters, China’s Ministry of Defense said on Thursday, in the latest flare-up of a spat over air space that has deepened a rift between the two countries.
U.S., Iran to hold nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senior U.S. and Iranian officials will hold nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said, as the two sides seek to break a logjam over Tehran’s atomic program.
