Scottish bid to break up UK prompts dread among North Irish loyalists
BELFAST (Reuters) – Horrified that Scotland might break up the United Kingdom by voting for independence this autumn, thousands of Northern Ireland loyalists are preparing to fight back using their favored 17th century battle regalia: drums, flutes, ba…
France set to prevent jihadists going to fight or train abroad
PARIS (Reuters) – France plans to ban individuals linked to radical Islamist groups from leaving the country in a bid to prevent attacks by militants returning from the Middle East, according to a draft bill set to be unveiled on Wednesday.
Japan upset as Chinese paper prints mushroom clouds on map
TOKYO/BEIJING (Reuters) – Japan on Tuesday vowed to make a stern protest to China after a regional Chinese newspaper printed a map of the country with mushroom clouds hovering over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and accused the Japanese of wantin…
One dead as powerful typhoon hits Japan’s Okinawa
TOKYO (Reuters) – One man died, more than 500,000 people were urged to evacuate and hundreds of flights were canceled in Japan as a strong typhoon brought torrential rain and high winds to its southwestern islands and could bring heavy rain to Tokyo la…
Quake of magnitude 6.1 strikes off coast of Vanuatu: USGS
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck 19 miles (30 km) east-northeast of Port Vila, capital of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, the United States Geological Survey said on Tuesday.
Jonathan’s PR offensive backfires in Nigeria and abroad
LAGOS (Reuters) – Facing censure at home and overseas for a perceived failure to protect civilians from violent Islamists, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has launched an international media offensive to try to turn the tide of public opinion in h…
India asks UN team on Kashmir to leave Delhi premises
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India has asked a United Nations military observer group on Kashmir to vacate a government-provided bungalow in New Delhi, in a toughening stance against a mission that Indians have long opposed.
Central African Republic fighters attack church sheltering civilians
BANGUI (Reuters) – Rebel fighters and armed Muslim civilians killed “many” people in an attack on a church compound in the Central African Republic on Monday where thousands of civilians had taken refuge, Catholic Church officials said.
U.N. tribunal rules for Bangladesh in sea border dispute with India
DHAKA (Reuters) – A U.N. tribunal has awarded Bangladesh nearly four-fifths of an area sprawling over 25,000 sq km (9,700 sq miles) in the Bay of Bengal, ending a dispute over a sea border with India that has ruffled ties between the neighbours for mor…
Thai junta to hold largest ‘happiness fair’ in latest PR push
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s military government said on Tuesday it would hold its largest festival yet in the Thai capital, part of a propaganda campaign aimed at national reconciliation after the junta’s May coup.
