India’s BJP eyes gains in south, east to cut clout of regional queens
CHENNAI, India (Reuters) – India’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party was set to make gains in two big states in the south and east that began voting on Thursday in the sixth phase of a mammoth general election that could help it build a stable majority…
Earthquake shakes British Columbia; no injuries reported
SEATTLE (Reuters) – An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 rattled the coast of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island on Wednesday evening and was felt by hundreds of people in dozens of cities in Canada and the United States, the U.S. Geological Survey s…
Wage talks resume as South Africa platinum strike marks 13th week
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Marathon talks aimed at ending a crippling three-month strike in South Africa’s platinum sector were to resume on Thursday after the world’s top producers and union AMCU spent two days haggling over an offer tabled last week by…
Thai opposition leader seeks compromise to avert bloodshed
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Alarmed by the prospect of bloodshed in Thailand as a six-month political crisis nears a critical juncture, former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has called for talks between the government and its foes, urging compromise to resto…
Historic canonization of two popes brings joy and controversy
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Two giants of Roman Catholicism in the 20th century will become saints on Sunday at an unprecedented twin canonization that has aroused both joy and controversy in the 1.2 billion member Church.
Pakistan fighter jets target militant hideouts near Afghan border
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani fighter jets pounded suspected militant hideouts near the Afghan border on Thursday in response to a spate of attacks around the country, the army said, in the first aerial operation against Taliban insurgents in two mon…
Japan’s Mitsui pays China to release seized ship-court
BEIJING/TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd paid about $29 million for the release of a ship seized by China over a dispute that dates back to the 1930s war between the countries, China’s Supreme Court said on Thursday.
Japan’s Abe: Continue to gain understanding of his Yasukuni visit
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday that he will continue to explain his visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine for war dead to gain understanding from neighboring Asian countries.
China bans petitioners appealing directly to higher authorities
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has banned petitioners from taking their grievances directly to higher levels of government without first going through local authorities, state media reported on Thursday, in the latest effort to streamline its chaotic petiti…
U.N. Security Council members mulling South Sudan sanctions
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N. Security Council members are considering sanctions on South Sudan’s warring parties, envoys said on Wednesday, after U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous demanded “serious consequences” be imposed to force an end to the…
