South Korean trade official kidnapped in Tripoli
SEOUL (Reuters) – Unknown gunmen kidnapped a South Korean trade official in the Libyan capital Tripoli, the foreign ministry in Seoul said on Monday, the latest incident of violence linked to the activities of competing militias.
Japan protests China memorial to Korean assassin as ties fray
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan on Monday protested against a Chinese memorial to a Korean who assassinated a Japanese official over a century ago, branding him a terrorist and saying the move did not help repair deteriorating ties.
Islamist group claims Volgograd attacks, threatens Olympics
MOSCOW (Reuters) – An Islamic militant group said in a video posted online that it was behind two suicide bombings that killed at least 34 people last month in the Russian city of Volgograd, and threatened to attack the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Iran says enrichment suspension to start in a few hours: news agency
ANKARA (Reuters) – Iran said on Monday it will start its suspension of uranium enrichment up to 20 percent in a few hours, when talks with the U.N. nuclear watchdog are likely to have ended, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Analysis: Old Europe vs. New Europe in race for Commission chief
PARIS (Reuters) – Donald Rumsfeld sparked uproar among Europeans a decade ago when he depicted a split over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as pitting “Old Europe” against “New Europe”.
Chinese factory worker sentenced to life for poisoning dumplings
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Chinese court sentenced a man to life in prison on Monday for poisoning frozen dumplings more than six years ago at the plant where he worked, making ill four Chinese and nine Japanese consumers and further straining ties between …
Insight: Lowball bid comes back to haunt Panama Canal expansion
PANAMA CITY/MADRID (Reuters) – A bitter dispute between the Panama Canal and a Spanish-led consortium of construction companies over the spiraling cost of expanding one of the world’s busiest waterways was years in the making.
Protesters clash with police at large Ukraine rally
KIEV (Reuters) – Protesters clashed with riot police in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday after tough anti-protest legislation, which the political opposition says paves the way for a police state, was rushed through parliament last week.
Central New Zealand shaken by strong quake, no injuries
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Central New Zealand, including the capital Wellington, was shaken by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake on Monday, but there were no reports of injuries, and damage was mostly superficial.
Power failure, smoke again at Nippon Steel plant in Japan
TOKYO (Reuters) – A power failure and smoke release occurred at Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp’s Nagoya steel plant in central Japan on Monday, just three days after the facility was hit with similar problems.
