Big power talks on Ukraine crisis make little progress
PARIS/KIEV (Reuters) – High-level diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Ukraine made little apparent headway at talks in Paris on Wednesday with Moscow and Washington at odds and Russia’s foreign minister refusing to recognize his Ukrainian count…
North Korean-flagged tanker tries docking at seized Libyan oil port
TRIPOLI/LONDON (Reuters) – A North Korean-flagged oil tanker tried to dock at Libya’s Es-Sider oil port seized by armed protesters who have threatened to sell oil independently unless they get political autonomy from Tripoli, Libyan officials said on W…
Venezuela’s Chavez remembered with pomp and protests
CARACAS (Reuters) – Followers of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez flooded the streets of Venezuela on Wednesday for the anniversary of his death, an emotional but welcome distraction for his successor from violent protests raging for the last month.
Costa Rica candidate quits election bid, paves way for leftist
SAN JOSE (Reuters) – Costa Rica’s ruling party candidate Johnny Araya on Wednesday abandoned his presidential campaign a month before a runoff, a move that appeared to guarantee victory for leftist former diplomat Luis Guillermo Solis.
China’s Xi ramps up military spending in face of worried region
BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – China announced its biggest rise in military spending in three years on Wednesday, a strong signal from President Xi Jinping that Beijing is not about to back away from its growing assertiveness in Asia, especially in disp…
Egypt lobbies Germany to ease travel advisory: minister
BERLIN (Reuters) – Egypt is urging Germany to ease its advice against travel to the entire Sinai peninsula after security concerns following the fatal bombing of a tourist bus prompted operators to bring back holidaymakers from the Sharm el-Sheikh Red …
Israel seizes arms shipment
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Israeli navy seized a ship in the Red Sea on Wednesday that was carrying dozens of advanced Iranian-supplied rockets made in Syria and intended for Palestinian guerrillas in the Gaza Strip, the military said.
North Korean-flagged tanker tried docking at Libyan oil port
TRIPOLI/LONDON (Reuters) – A North Korean-flagged oil tanker tried to dock at Libya’s Es-Sider oil port seized by armed protesters demanding more autonomy from the government, the Libyan navy and oil officials said on Wednesday.
Street fighting as India heads for April-May election
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Street clashes erupted in India after an announcement on Wednesday that parliamentary elections will start on April 7 in a race that pits Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi against the unpopular Nehru-Gandhi family’s ruling party.
U.S. defends Japan against China’s plutonium criticism
VIENNA (Reuters) – The United States and China disagreed over Japan’s plutonium stocks at a U.N. nuclear agency meeting on Wednesday, with Washington saying it did not share Beijing’s concern about the sensitive issue, diplomats said.
