Elections in jeopardy as Bangladesh parties head for showdown
DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh’s two main parties are hurtling towards a showdown this week that could delay or even derail elections due by January in a country with a history of ferocious political violence and military intervention.
Malaysia’s Najib entrenches power as reform drive fades
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Internal voting for top posts in Malaysia’s ruling coalition at the weekend have proved Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to be a canny survivor – five months after a poor showing at national elections – but at a cost to his…
Freed Lebanese, Turkish hostages fly home after deal
BEIRUT/ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Two kidnapped Turkish pilots arrived in Istanbul after leaving Lebanon on Saturday and nine Lebanese hostages freed from Syria landed in Beirut, completing a hostage exchange after months of uncertainty.
Flug in consideration for top job at Bank of Israel -media
TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Acting Bank of Israel Governor Karnit Flug is back in the running to officially take over as head of the central bank chief, Israeli media reported on Sunday.
Japan’s Abe likely to visit Yasukuni shrine by end of year: aide
TOKYO (Reuters) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine for war dead by the end of the year, Japanese media reported on Sunday, citing an aide in Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
New storm off Mexico’s Pacific coast threatens battered Acapulco
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico issued storm warnings on its Pacific coast on Saturday evening as a new tropical depression formed around 200 miles south of Acapulco, a city still recovering from devastating floods that hit the country last month.
Western Canada train hauling fuel derails, burns; no injuries
CALGARY (Reuters) – A train carrying crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas derailed and caught fire in Western Canada on Saturday, in an accident that brought back memories of a deadly crash in Quebec this summer.
Maldives police halt presidential vote, supporters stage sit-in
MALE (Reuters) – Maldives police forced a halt to a presidential election on Saturday, in what the leading candidate’s supporters said was a new coup as he called on them to block the streets in protest.
Thousands protest in Romania against shale gas, gold mine
PUNGESTI, Romania (Reuters) – Thousands of Romanians protested on Saturday against plans by U.S. energy group Chevron to explore for shale gas in a poor eastern region and a Canadian company’s project to set up Europe’s biggest open cast gold mine in a…
Progress with FARC slower than hoped for: Colombia’s Santos
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – Nearly a year after starting peace talks with left-wing FARC guerrillas, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Saturday that negotiations have not progressed as quickly as he had hoped.
