China’s Xi ramps up military spending in face of worried region
BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – China announced its biggest rise in military spending in three years on Wednesday, a strong signal from President Xi Jinping that Beijing is not about to back away from its growing assertiveness in Asia, especially in disp…
Egypt lobbies Germany to ease travel advisory: minister
BERLIN (Reuters) – Egypt is urging Germany to ease its advice against travel to the entire Sinai peninsula after security concerns following the fatal bombing of a tourist bus prompted operators to bring back holidaymakers from the Sharm el-Sheikh Red …
Israel seizes arms shipment
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Israeli navy seized a ship in the Red Sea on Wednesday that was carrying dozens of advanced Iranian-supplied rockets made in Syria and intended for Palestinian guerrillas in the Gaza Strip, the military said.
North Korean-flagged tanker tried docking at Libyan oil port
TRIPOLI/LONDON (Reuters) – A North Korean-flagged oil tanker tried to dock at Libya’s Es-Sider oil port seized by armed protesters demanding more autonomy from the government, the Libyan navy and oil officials said on Wednesday.
Street fighting as India heads for April-May election
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Street clashes erupted in India after an announcement on Wednesday that parliamentary elections will start on April 7 in a race that pits Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi against the unpopular Nehru-Gandhi family’s ruling party.
U.S. defends Japan against China’s plutonium criticism
VIENNA (Reuters) – The United States and China disagreed over Japan’s plutonium stocks at a U.N. nuclear agency meeting on Wednesday, with Washington saying it did not share Beijing’s concern about the sensitive issue, diplomats said.
Clashes erupt at army base in tense South Sudan
JUBA/ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – At least five soldiers were killed in fighting between soldiers over delayed salaries at a barracks in South Sudan’s capital on Wednesday, an army spokesman said, three months after clashes in the same military base trigger…
Three Gulf Arab states recall envoys in rift with Qatar
RIYADH/DOHA (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar on Wednesday in an unprecedented public split between Gulf Arab allies who have fallen out over the role of Islamists in a region in turmoi…
Ai Weiwei supporters pressure Berlin for passport’s return
BERLIN (Reuters) – German supporters of Ai Weiwei, one of China’s most famous political dissidents, urged Berlin on Wednesday to demand the return of the artist’s passport before an exhibition of politically-charged works in Germany’s capital.
Egypt panel mostly blames Mursi supporters for deaths in protest break-up
CAIRO (Reuters) – A government-appointed panel said on Wednesday that the deaths of hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters at a protest camp in Cairo last August was mostly the fault of demonstrators who had provoked the security forces into opening…
