High-profile ministerial meeting moved from Hong Kong to Beijing
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A high-profile meeting of Asian-Pacific finance ministers has been moved out of Hong Kong on instructions from central Chinese authorities in Beijing, a measure that could prove embarrassing to the city’s promotion of itself as a …
Nigerian Islamists kill 29 pupils in boarding school attack
DAMATURU, Nigeria (Reuters) – Gunmen from Islamist group Boko Haram stormed a boarding school in northeast Nigeria overnight and killed 29 pupils, many of whom died in flames as the school was burned to the ground, police and the military said on Tuesd…
Algerian opposition parties urge election boycott
ALGIERS (Reuters) – Three Algerian opposition parties have called for a boycott of elections in April after the government announced President Abdelaziz Bouteflika would run for a fourth term to extend his 15 years in power.
Thai hospital under construction collapses, killing at least 11
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A hospital under construction just east of Bangkok’s main airport collapsed on Tuesday, killing at least 11 people and injuring 16, police said.
Russia says: Don’t force Ukraine to choose between us and West
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Ukraine must not be forced to choose between close ties with Russia or the West, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
No end in sight yet for Trans-Pacific trade pact
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Ministers in 12-nation Trans-Pacific trade talks said on Tuesday that they had yet to reach agreement on tariffs and other market access issues, with the timing of a completed deal looking increasingly unclear.
China says worried by Japan arms exports ban revision
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Foreign Ministry expressed concern on Tuesday about Japan’s drafting of new guidelines that would reverse a decades-old ban on weapons exports, saying it was a worrying part of Tokyo’s swing to the right.
Philippines protests over South China Sea water cannon incident
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines protested on Tuesday against China’s use of a water cannon on Filipino fishermen in disputed waters of the South China Sea warning that the incident would escalate tension.
Kid gloves seen softening Israeli crackdown on pro-settler vandals
MISHOR ADUMIM, West Bank (Reuters) – Last March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a crackdown on crimes that elsewhere might be shrugged off as ugly but sufferable mischief – racist graffiti, slashed tires, hacked orchards and small-s…
Investors pledge $7.8 billion to kick-start Senegal growth plans
PARIS (Reuters) – Senegal secured pledges worth about $7.8 billion at a donor conference that began in Paris on Monday to help kick-start a development plan aimed at doubling economic growth rates over the next decade.