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.
Afghanistan’s Karzai stands alone in high-stakes game with U.S.
KABUL (Reuters) – President Hamid Karzai’s stubborn refusal to sign a pact that would keep thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014 is a high-risk gamble that Washington will give in to his demands, one that has left him isolated as the clock…
Syrian opposition to attend Geneva peace conference
CAIRO (Reuters) – The Syrian National Coalition opposition group will attend the long-delayed “Geneva 2” talks in January aimed at ending the country’s civil war, the group’s president, Ahmad Jarba, said on Wednesday.
Canada allowed widespread NSA surveillance at 2010 G20 summit: report
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada allowed the U.S. National Security Agency to conduct widespread surveillance during the 2010 Group of 20 summit in Toronto, according to a Canadian Broadcasting Corp report that cited documents from former NSA contractor Edwa…
Ukraine’s Yanukovich: a tough nut for the EU
KIEV (Reuters) – Europe’s envoys have beaten a path to Viktor Yanukovich’s door almost daily for months to clear the way for a historic trade pact between Ukraine and the European Union.
Pope slams ‘throwaway culture’ that discards unemployed youth
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Pope Francis took on the issue of high youth unemployment in his first interview aired exclusively in his home country of Argentina on Wednesday, warning that today’s “throwaway culture” had discarded a generation of young Euro…
Analysis: Enforcing rules in air zone will stretch China’s air force and navy
HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s military could struggle to cope with the demands for intensified surveillance and interception if it tries to enforce the rules in its new air defense zone over islands at the heart of a territorial dispute with Ja…
Japan mulls more than $100 million new spending on Fukushima water-crisis: sources
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is considering more than $100 million in extra government spending to handle contaminated water at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, boosting the budget allocation by at least a fifth, government officials familiar with the …
Panama freeing most of North Korean crew in smuggled arms case
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – Panama is freeing most of the 35 North Korean crew members it detained more than four months ago for smuggling Cuban weapons aboard a ship, a senior government official said on Wednesday.
Mali parliamentary vote inconclusive, heads for second round
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Mali’s three main political parties secured just 16 seats out of 147 available in the first round of a parliamentary election, provisional results showed on Wednesday.
