Special Report: Francois Hollande puts on a new political face
PARIS (Reuters) – Francois Hollande’s advisers needed a drink.
Thai protesters seek to win over disgruntled rice farmers
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Anti-government protesters in Thailand’s capital collected money for farmers on Friday, seeking to capitalize on discontent in rural areas at the state’s failure to pay for rice bought under a controversial subsidy scheme.
Pakistani sectarian leader added to U.S. global terrorist list
LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – The United States has added the founder of a banned Pakistani militant group to its list of global terrorists, blaming him for the deaths of hundreds of Pakistanis.
Six hurt in blasts near Cairo: security sources
CAIRO (Reuters) – Two explosive devices detonated on Friday near a police checkpoint in Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, wounding six people, the government and security sources said.
China tells Spain to prevent Tibet-related lawsuits
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Foreign Ministry called on Spain on Friday to prevent the launch of further lawsuits which seek to probe alleged Chinese rights abuses in the restive region of Tibet.
Kazakh leader may drop the ‘stan’ in Kazakhstan
ALMATY (Reuters) – President Nursultan Nazarbayev may drop the ‘stan’ from Kazakhstan to distinguish his booming oil-rich nation from the rest of Central Asia, where the other so-called stans are mostly mired in poverty.
India’s top court halts potential blackout in Delhi power row
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered state-run power producer NTPC Ltd to continue supplying power to distribution companies in the capital, New Delhi, until March 26, in a move that averts a blackout next week.
Some 200 civilians expected to leave besieged part of Syria’s Homs: governor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – About 200 people are expected to leave a besieged area of the Syrian city of Homs on Friday in the first stage of a humanitarian deal to evacuate civilians and allow aid to be delivered, a regional official said.
Earthquake of 6.7 magnitude strikes off Vanuatu – USGS
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – An earthquake of 6.7 magnitude struck off the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
South Korea to widen safety probe on certificates for nuclear reactor parts
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s nuclear watchdog said on Friday it will expand its investigation of reactor parts manufactured or certified by foreign companies since 2008 to see if it can find more instances of forged safety certificates.
