Australia to swear in Rudd as PM, Bowen as Treasurer
CANBERRA (Reuters) – Kevin Rudd will be sworn in as Australian prime minister at 9.30 a.m. on Thursday (2330 GMT Wednesday), with Chris Bowen to be sworn in as treasurer, the office of Governor-General Quentin Bryce said on Thursday.
Speculation mounts on early arrival for Britain’s royal baby
LONDON (Reuters) – British bookmakers are taking money on speculation that the royal baby could come sooner than expected with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge fudging the date to retain some privacy and shake off the world’s media.
Mandela still critical, Zuma cancels Mozambique trip
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African President Jacob Zuma canceled a trip to neighboring Mozambique on Thursday, intensifying speculation about a deterioration in the health of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, who remains critically ill in hospi…
Syria death toll tops 100,000, rebels lose border town
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have retaken a town on the Lebanese border as they press an offensive against rebels in a conflict that has now cost more than 100,000 lives, activists said on Wednesday.
Analysis: Big poll win for Japan PM Abe’s party could defeat bold economic reform
TOKYO (Reuters) – Will the real Shinzo Abe please stand up?
Armed groups clash in Libyan capital for second day
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – At least two people were killed and 24 wounded in clashes between militias in Libya’s capital on Wednesday, highlighting the rivalries behind heavily armed groups that have plagued the country since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.
Khodorkovsky supporters rally to mark birthday, arrests reported
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Supporters of jailed ex-oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky gathered in Moscow on Wednesday to mark his fiftieth birthday and one news website reported that 46 people were arrested.
Manila plans air, naval bases at Subic with access for U.S., officials say
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippine military has revived plans to build new air and naval bases at Subic Bay, a former U.S. naval base that American forces could use to counter China’s creeping presence in the disputed South China Sea, senior navy offici…
Insight: Kuwaitis campaign privately to arm Syrian rebels
KUWAIT (Reuters) – At a traditional evening meeting known as a “diwaniya”, Kuwaiti men drop banknotes into a box, opening a campaign to arm up to 12,000 anti-government fighters in Syria. A new Mercedes is parked outside to be auctioned off for cash.
French court upholds life term for Carlos the Jackal
PARIS (Reuters) – Carlos the Jackal, once one of the world’s most wanted criminals, lost his appeal of a guilty verdict for deadly bomb attacks in France three decades ago, as a Paris court on Wednesday reaffirmed a life sentence in prison.
