Ukraine wins IMF lifeline as Russia faces growth slump
KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Ukraine won a $27-billion international financial lifeline on Thursday, rushed through in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, while Moscow’s economy minister acknowledged that his country’s growth would slow dramatically …
Manila raises stakes with Beijing, seeks arbitration over South China Sea
HONG KONG/MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines will file a case against China over the disputed South China Sea at an arbitration tribunal in The Hague next week, subjecting Beijing to international legal scrutiny over the increasingly tense waters for t…
Saudi Prince Muqrin named second-in-line to succeed king
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, a former intelligence chief in the conservative Islamic kingdom, has been appointed deputy crown prince, making it likely he will one day become king.
U.N. raises alarm over escalating violence in Darfur
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – United Nations and African Union officials sounded an alarm on Thursday over the worsening violence in Sudan’s western Darfur region, which has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people this year in the remot…
Philippines, Muslim rebels sign final peace deal to end conflict
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines and its largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), on Thursday signed a final peace pact, ending about 45 years of conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people in the country’s south.
Pakistani judge sentences Christian to death for blasphemy
LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – A Pakistani judge has sentenced a Christian to death for blasphemy, lawyers said on Thursday, in the latest of a rising tide of such legal cases.
Wanted bomb maker killed by Lebanese army in shootout
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A suspected bomb-maker died of his wounds after he was shot by Lebanese soldiers trying to arrest him at a house in a border town near Syria, security sources said.
UK coroner records open verdict on death of Russian oligarch Berezovsky
WINDSOR, England (Reuters) – A British coroner recorded an open verdict on Thursday on the death of exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky whose body was found in the bathroom of his ex-wife’s home in Britain last March, the BBC reported.
Protesters opposed to Myanmar census attack NGO offices
YANGON (Reuters) – Protesters in Myanmar’s Rakhine State opposed to a census attacked offices and houses used by international aid groups after reports a European staff member from one group had removed a Buddhist flag used as a symbol to boycott the o…
EU hopes to launch delayed Central African Republic mission soon
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union governments are expected to pledge soldiers and equipment on Friday allowing the EU to launch its delayed peacekeeping mission to the Central African Republic, the EU’s top military officer said.
