Indian cyclone weakens, authorities say no threat
BHUBANESWAR, India, Nov 28 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A severe cyclone weakened before it made landfall on India’s east coast on Thursday, and an official said it no longer posed a serious threat to thousands of people in low-lying areas.
U.N. Yemen envoy says former president’s camp undermining talks
DUBAI (Reuters) – The U.N. envoy to Yemen has accused members of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government of obstructing reconciliation talks aimed at completing a power transfer deal, and called for international support for the current admini…
Hollande backs away from deadline on unemployment
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande backed away on Thursday from a pledge to bring unemployment down by the end of the year, saying instead that it would take as long as necessary.
Video shows execution of Syrian rebels by Al Qaeda-linked group
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Al Qaeda-linked militants have executed the commander of a rival rebel faction and six of his men, an amateur video of the public execution showed, part of their campaign to marginalize other groups.
Last of Greenpeace protesters granted bail in Russia
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian court on Thursday granted bail to the last Greenpeace activist still in custody over a protest against offshore oil drilling in the Arctic.
India sex assault case spotlights powerful predators
NEW DELHI, Nov 28 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The man at the center of a sexual assault scandal that has whipped India’s media into a frenzy is no average Joe.
China to push chaotic petitioning system online
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will encourage people who wish to lodge petitions about perceived injustices to do so online rather than taking their grievances directly to officials, as the government seeks to bring order to an often chaotic and abusive sys…
U.S. affirms support for Japan in islands dispute with China
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States pledged support for ally Japan on Wednesday in a growing dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea and senior U.S. administration officials accused Beijing of behavior that had unsettled its neighbor…
China breaks up gangs that smuggled $164 million worth of cars
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have broken up six rings that smuggled around $164 million worth of cars into the country over the past three years, including more than 80 top-end models such as BMWs and Rolls-Royces, state media said on Thursd…
Australian diplomacy tested by Indonesia, China rows
SYDNEY (Reuters) – When Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott swept to power in September’s general election, his promise of a foreign policy that was “more Jakarta than Geneva” raised hopes of a new era of engagement with powerful Asian neighbors.