U.N. Congo peacekeepers question Rwandan rebel disarmament claim
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Senior members of a Rwandan Hutu rebel force based in eastern Congo said on Tuesday they had started laying down their arms and were ready for talks with Kigali, but U.N. peacekeepers said they had seen no…
Shi’ite rebels, tribes agree ceasefire in north Yemen: sources
SANAA (Reuters) – Shi’ite Muslim rebels and Sunni tribesmen agreed a local ceasefire in northern Yemen on Tuesday after clashes between the rivals killed about 60 people there last week, tribal sources said.
South Africa’s AMCU union, platinum firms resume wage talks
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Wage talks between South Africa’s AMCU union and the world’s top three platinum producers resumed on Tuesday to try to end a nearly two-week strike that has seen outbreaks of violence and is costing the country an estimated $36…
Confusion, doubt as Pakistan tries to talk to Taliban militants
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s much-awaited talks with the Taliban got off to a shambolic start on Tuesday after government negotiators failed to turn up at an agreed time following days of confusion over who should represent the insurgents.
Britain says it advised India on 1984 Golden Temple attack
LONDON (Reuters) – Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Tuesday an official investigation had shown Britain did advise India on planning a deadly attack against Sikh separatists in the Golden Temple at Amritsar in 1984, but said its advice had limit…
England and Wales urge Scotland: Don’t leave us
LONDON (Reuters) – Despite sporting and historic rivalry, England and Wales had one message for Scotland on Tuesday: don’t leave us.
Czech president to appoint former PM Rusnok to central bank
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech President Milos Zeman will appoint Jiri Rusnok, who led a caretaker government until January, to the central bank board on Wednesday February 5, the president’s office said.
Celebrity tax dodging prompts calls for crackdown in Germany
BERLIN (Reuters) – Revelations that prominent Germans have for years hoarded cash in secret bank accounts have prompted calls from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners for a clampdown on tax dodging.
Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew hospitalised with fever
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s first prime minister and the man widely credited with the city state’s economic success, Lee Kuan Yew, is in hospital recovering from an infection.
Thai PM under fire as rice scheme sinks, poll challenged
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Pressure on Thailand’s embattled government mounted on Tuesday, when a flagship rice-buying scheme vital to its support stumbled closer to collapse and the opposition filed legal challenges that could void a disrupted weekend electi…