Tycoon says protests could damage Hong Kong’s reputation
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, one of the wealthiest men in Asia, warned on Friday that planned protests to shut down Hong Kong’s central business district later this year would damage the Asian financial hub.
Argentina’s poor at risk as inflation weakens safety net
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – At a soup kitchen in a Buenos Aires slum, Alejandro Monzon hung his head as he stood in line and recounted how his fortunes have unraveled over the last year.
Al Qaeda splinter group withdraws from Syrian town near Turkey
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Fighters from an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), withdrew from a rebel-held Syrian town near the border with Turkey on Friday, a monitoring group said.
Cambodian jailed over poll protests, lawyer says he was tortured
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – A Cambodian court sentenced a man to a year in prison on Friday for attacking police and destroying public property during protests over election results last year, but his lawyer said torture was used to extract a confession fro…
China swipes back at U.S. in annual rights report
BEIJING (Reuters) – China on Friday accused the United States of widespread human rights abuses, including cyber-surveillance and child labor, in Beijing’s annual rebuttal of Washington’s criticism of its rights record.
Generations on, Christians fleeing Syria return to Turkish homeland
MIDYAT, Turkey (Reuters) – When Louis Bandak fled the violence in Syria, he sought refuge in the country his grandfather was forced to abandon exactly 90 years ago this week.
Chinese criticize state firm behind Three Gorges dam over graft probe
BEIJING (Reuters) – A scathing report on corruption at the company that built China’s $59-billion Three Gorges dam, the world’s biggest hydropower scheme, has reignited public anger over a project funded through a special levy paid by all citizens.
Burundi crisis may stir unrest but not by me, says ex-rebel
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Burundi’s worst political crisis since the end of its 12-year civil war risks unleashing a new wave of unrest before next year’s presidential election, the main opposition leader said on Thursday.
Cyprus faces fresh bailout uncertainty after privatization vote
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus faced fresh uncertainty on Friday over the future of its bailout program after lawmakers rejected privatization plans, casting doubt on a new tranche of financial aid due in March.
North Korea condemns Australian judge behind U.N. rights report
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea on Friday condemned an Australian judge who led a U.N. investigation that concluded that North Korean security chiefs and possibly its leader should face justice for torture and killings comparable to Nazi-era atrocities.
