Russia says will veto Syria aid resolution in current form
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Wednesday it would veto a U.N. resolution on humanitarian aid access in Syria in its current form, denouncing the draft as an effort to lay a foundation for military strikes against President Bashar al-Assad’s governme…
China to crack down on fake data ‘corruption’: statistics chief
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will step up efforts to investigate and punish any cases of falsified statistics, the country’s chief statistician said in remarks published on Wednesday, highlighting the issue of reliability of Chinese data.
Britain to tell Scotland: leave the UK and lose the pound, reports
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain is likely to warn Scots that they cannot have a currency union with the rest of the United Kingdom if they vote for independence in a September referendum, local media reported, citing unidentified government sources.
Gunmen kill nine at Pakistani policeman’s home as peace talks proceed
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Gunmen tossed hand grenades into the house of a slain Pakistani police officer on Wednesday, police said, killing nine men in an attack coinciding with peace talks between the government and Pakistan Taliban militants.
Syria peace talks make little progress, says envoy
GENEVA (Reuters) – Peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition are not making much progress, the international mediator said on Tuesday after a face-to-face meeting of the warring parties in Geneva that both sides called fruitless.
Insight: In Ukraine standoff, echoes of U.S.-Russia Cold War tensions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – After Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Ukraine last July, U.S. diplomats got a private recap of the message he delivered behind closed doors to the country’s leaders. Ukraine, Putin warned, would not be allowed to stray f…
Adrift at sea: Fire-hit tanker in North Asia shows flaws in safe-haven rules
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A fire-ravaged ship loaded with hazardous chemicals has become a maritime football in the north Pacific, with Japan and South Korea unwilling to give it refuge even though they risk a wider environmental disaster if it sinks.
Indonesia names former investment chief as trade minister
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia named the U.S.-educated former head of its investment agency, Muhammad Lutfi, as trade minister on Wednesday, with the government entering its last few months before a presidential election set for July.
China names errant law enforcement officials for the first time
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has publicly identified for the first time police officers, judges and prosecutors who violate disciplinary rules in a bid to address widespread discontent over officials that undermine the rule of law, state media said.
China’s premier cements ban on new buildings in cost-saving drive
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for a complete halt to construction of new government buildings, training centers and hotels, throwing his weight behind a standing order that the authorities have had difficulty enforcing in r…
