Kazakhstan to join U.N. peacekeeping for first time
ASTANA (Reuters) – Kazakhstan, seeking a more prominent role on the world stage, decided on Friday to send officers to aid United Nations peacekeeping missions next year for the first time since independence in 1991.
India begins training Afghan commandos as ties deepen ahead of 2014
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – – India is training a group of Afghan special forces in the deserts of Rajasthan, army officials said on Friday, deepening its involvement with Afghanistan as its military prepares to secure the country after NATO’s withdrawal in …
Suicide bombers kill 36 Shi’ite pilgrims in Iraq: police
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Suicide bombings in Iraq killed at least 36 people on Thursday in attacks targeting Shi’ite pilgrims ahead of a major holy day next week, police said.
U.S. says China agrees to more market access
BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said on Friday that China had agreed to remove regulatory hurdles to market access and had also set an action plan to enhance to protection of trade secrets.
Turkish police arrest eight in graft investigation: paper
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish police arrested eight people in connection with allegations of official corruption and bribery, a newspaper said on Friday, in an investigation Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has called a “dirty operation” aimed at undermini…
China, U.S. agree to promote U.S. beef in China: vice commerce minister
BEIJING (Reuters) – China and the United States have agreed to promote American beef exports in China, one of the world’s fastest growing markets for the meat, China’s vice commerce minister, Wang Chao, said on Friday.
Al-Azhar takes centre stage in struggle for Egypt
CAIRO (Reuters) – A venerable center of Islamic learning in Cairo has become a new battlefield in the Muslim Brotherhood’s struggle to keep its battered cause alive against Egypt’s army-backed rulers.
China investigates top Guangdong official over ‘discipline’
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A top official in China’s prosperous Guangdong province is being investigated for “serious discipline violations”, which is often a euphemism for corruption, state media said on Friday.
Gunmen shoot dead town mayor at Philippine airport
MANILA (Reuters) – Gunmen on Friday shot dead a town mayor and three other people at the airport in the Philippine capital, Manila, sending travelers fleeing for safety, authorities said.
U.N. says peacekeeping base in South Sudan attacked, deaths reported
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – A United Nations peacekeeping base in South Sudan’s Jonglei state was attacked on Thursday and the organization has received reports that some people have been killed, a senior U.N. official said.
