Syria peace talks make little progress, says envoy
GENEVA (Reuters) – Peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition are not making much progress, the international mediator said on Tuesday after a face-to-face meeting of the warring parties in Geneva that both sides called fruitless.
Insight: In Ukraine standoff, echoes of U.S.-Russia Cold War tensions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – After Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Ukraine last July, U.S. diplomats got a private recap of the message he delivered behind closed doors to the country’s leaders. Ukraine, Putin warned, would not be allowed to stray f…
Adrift at sea: Fire-hit tanker in North Asia shows flaws in safe-haven rules
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A fire-ravaged ship loaded with hazardous chemicals has become a maritime football in the north Pacific, with Japan and South Korea unwilling to give it refuge even though they risk a wider environmental disaster if it sinks.
Indonesia names former investment chief as trade minister
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia named the U.S.-educated former head of its investment agency, Muhammad Lutfi, as trade minister on Wednesday, with the government entering its last few months before a presidential election set for July.
China names errant law enforcement officials for the first time
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has publicly identified for the first time police officers, judges and prosecutors who violate disciplinary rules in a bid to address widespread discontent over officials that undermine the rule of law, state media said.
China’s premier cements ban on new buildings in cost-saving drive
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for a complete halt to construction of new government buildings, training centers and hotels, throwing his weight behind a standing order that the authorities have had difficulty enforcing in r…
Algerian military plane crashes into mountain, 77 killed
OULED GACEM, Algeria (Reuters) – A military transport plane carrying members of the Algerian armed forces and their relatives crashed into a mountain on Tuesday, killing 77 people, the worst air disaster in the North African country in a decade.
Panama Canal says talks ongoing with consortium to resume project
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – The Panama Canal’s administrator said on Tuesday it was holding ongoing talks with a building consortium led by Spain’s Sacyr aimed at jumpstarting a stalled project to expand the waterway, which ran aground amid a dispute over …
Obama says U.S. will deal harshly with violators of Iran sanctions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama issued a sharp warning on Tuesday to companies eyeing business deals with Iran, saying the United States would come down like a “ton of bricks” on those that violated sanctions against Tehran.
U.N.’s Ban to France: Mull more troops for Central African Republic
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday he has asked France to consider sending more troops to the Central African Republic because the international response to the crisis “does not yet match the gravity of the si…
