Thai trade slumps alongside tourism as protest violence takes toll
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand announced a slump in trade figures on Tuesday with the biggest drop in imports in more than four years in January, as months of anti-government protests extended their economic toll beyond falling tourism numbers.
In Ukraine turbulence, a lad from Lviv becomes the toast of Kiev
KIEV (Reuters) – When the history of the bloody turbulence in Ukraine is written, a 26-year-old who learned combat skills in the army cadets may be recorded as the man who made up Viktor Yanukovich’s mind to cut and run.
Egypt’s bread ‘smart cards’: financial miracle for age-old problem?
PORT SAID, Egypt (Reuters) – A device resembling a credit card swiper is revolutionizing some of Egypt’s politically explosive bread lines and may help achieve the impossible — cutting crippling food import bills.
China’s president braves smog, takes a stroll in old quarter
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping surprised Beijing residents by visiting traditional courtyard homes and chatting near a shopping street on Tuesday, drawing praise from social media for mixing in public during a bad bout of smog.
Iran a threat not just to Israel, says Germany’s Merkel
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Germany views Iran as a potential threat not just to Israel, but also to European countries, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
China says worried by Japan arms exports ban revision
BEIJING (Reuters) – China 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 Japan’s swing to the right.
Italian marines will still be tried in India: foreign ministry
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen will still be tried in India, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday, a day after the government dropped a plan to prosecute the men under a tough anti-piracy law.
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.
