Russian court orders release of ex-aide to Khodorkovksy
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The former business partner of Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky will be released from prison on Friday under a ruling by Russia’s Supreme Court that reduced his sentence.
Chinese official sentenced to death on graft charges: Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Chinese municipal official was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting more than $1 million in bribes, the official news agency reported on Thursday, highlighting the government’s efforts to crackdown on graft.
Thai court defers election date ruling, capital calm
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Thursday deferred a ruling on whether a general election scheduled for February 2 can be postponed, as protesters who say they will boycott the vote kept up pressure on the government to step down….
Hare in Mandela’s ear leaves South African government hopping mad
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s government is up in arms over a bronze rabbit crafted inside the ear of a large statue of former president Nelson Mandela unveiled last month.
Ukraine opposition say they’ll brave bullets after talks with Yanukovich fail
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian opposition leaders emerged from crisis talks with President Viktor Yanukovich on Wednesday saying he had failed to give concrete answers to their demands, and told their supporters on the streets to prepare for a police offen…
Special Report: How Caterpillar got bulldozed in China
ZHENGZHOU, China (Reuters) – Asia’s top mergers and acquisitions bankers gathered two years ago at the swanky Island Shangri La in Hong Kong to celebrate the top deals of 2012. As the transactions were being toasted, one was unraveling.
Al Qaeda chief Zawahri tells Islamists in Syria to unite: audio
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri called on militant rebel factions in Syria to stop fighting each other and set up a judicial committee to sort out their differences, according to an audio recording released on Islamist websites.
Motorcycle gunmen kill five Egyptian police, government says
CAIRO (Reuters) – Masked gunmen riding motorcycles killed five Egyptian policemen in an attack on a checkpoint south of Cairo on Thursday, the Interior Ministry said.
Halt in expansion of Panama Canal could cause major delays: arbitrators
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – If work on the expansion of the Panama Canal is suspended, it could take up to five more years to finish, according to arbitrators helping to oversee the project that has been hit by a dispute over costs.
Italy’s Renzi flexes muscles in electoral reform drive
ROME (Reuters) – Italian center-left leader Matteo Renzi’s brisk dismissal of party critics who opposed a deal with their old nemesis Silvio Berlusconi on electoral reform has injected momentum into a political system frozen in deadlock for months.
