Besieged Syrian town pleads ‘Save us from death’ in letter
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Residents of a Syrian town besieged by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces appealed to the world to “save us from death” in an open letter describing desperate conditions and suffering.
Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey exceeds 600,000: Turkish official
ANKARA (Reuters) – The number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has exceeded 600,000 and more than 400,000 of them are living outside refugee camps, the Turkish disaster management agency said on Monday.
Five killed in Pakistan train bombing
QUETTA (Reuters) – At least five passengers were killed and 16 wounded when a train was bombed and derailed in restive southwest Pakistan on Monday, officials said.
Saudi Arabia under fire at U.N. over women’s, migrant workers rights
GENEVA (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s rights record came under fire at the United Nations on Monday, critics accusing the kingdom of jailing activists without due process and abusing the basic rights of Saudi women and foreign workers.
Hamas says it’s responsible for tunnel under Gaza-Israel border
GAZA (Reuters) – Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip claimed responsibility on Sunday for a tunnel that Israel said was found beneath the heavily fortified Israel-Gaza frontier.
Hurricane Raymond strengthens, seen missing Mexican coast
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The first major hurricane of the Eastern Pacific season strengthened as it came to a halt off Mexico early on Monday but forecasters expected it to head out to sea later in the week and miss the coast.
China to announce decision on Bo Xilai appeal on Friday
BEIJING (Reuters) – A court in eastern China said it would announce a decision on Friday on whether to accept an appeal by ousted former senior politician Bo Xilai over his guilty verdict and life sentence on charges of bribery, corruption and abuse of…
Australian wildfires put heat on climate change skeptic Abbott
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A long, hot summer looms for Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott as devastating wildfires near Sydney fuel opposition to his plans to repeal a carbon emissions tax, one of his basic campaign pledges in the election he won a month a…
China smog emergency shuts city of 11 million people
BEIJING (Reuters) – Choking smog all but shut down one of northeastern China’s largest cities on Monday, forcing schools to suspended classes, snarling traffic and closing the airport, in the country’s first major air pollution crisis of the winter.
China punishes eight in railway corruption case
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s anti-graft authorities have punished eight people at a state-owned rail construction firm for spending more than $100 million on hospitality last year, a disciplinary body of the Communist Party said on Monday.
