China takes step at openness, allows foreigners at defense briefing
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Defence Ministry allowed foreign media for the first time on Thursday to attend its monthly news conference in another step towards increasing transparency, though the briefing yielded little concrete news.
U.N. religion expert concerned over ‘interrupted’ Vietnam visit
HANOI (Reuters) – A U.N. expert expressed worry on Thursday over “serious violations” of religious freedom in Vietnam following a fact-finding mission he said was interrupted by surveillance, harassment and intimidation.
Temporary ceasefire in Tripoli, 75 bodies found in Benghazi
BENGHAZI/TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Rival Libyan militias fighting for control of Tripoli’s airport agreed to a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday to allow firefighters to try to control a huge blaze at a fuel depot hit by a rocket.
U.S. missionary jailed in North Korea feels ‘abandoned’: paper
SEOUL (Reuters) – A U.S. missionary imprisoned in North Korea since 2012 has said he feels abandoned by his government and has appealed again for help in securing his release, a pro-North Korea newspaper reported on Thursday.
Ex-aide to Queen Elizabeth’s husband charged with sex offences
LONDON (Reuters) – A former aide to Prince Philip, husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, has been charged with sex offences against a girl in the 1970s, a period he was working for the royal family, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Ex-aide to Queen Elizabeth’s husband charged with sex offences
LONDON (Reuters) – A former aide to Prince Philip, husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, has been charged with sex offences against a girl in the 1970s, a period he was working for the royal family, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Doctor says Australia covering up mental illness in asylum-seeker children
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A former healthcare worker at Australia’s immigration detention centers said on Thursday the government asked him to cover up evidence that children held in the camps were suffering from widespread mental illness caused by their conf…
El Salvador detains Spanish priest for smuggling cell phones into jail
SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – El Salvadoran police detained a Spanish priest known for supporting a fragile gang truce over allegations he smuggled cell phones into jail, police said, a move questioned later on Wednesday by El Salvador’s president.
Carnage at U.N. school as Israel pounds Gaza Strip
GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli shelling killed at least 15 Palestinians sheltering in a U.N.-run school and another 17 near a street market on Wednesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said, with no ceasefire in sight after more than three weeks of fightin…
Moscow fights back after sanctions; battle rages near Ukraine crash site
MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) – Russia fought back on Wednesday over new U.S. and EU sanctions imposed over Ukraine even as G7 leaders warned of further steps, while Ukraine’s government accused pro-Russian rebels of placing land mines near the site of a crash…
