One dead, three seriously injured after Italy fireworks plant explodes
ROME (Reuters) – At least one person was killed and three were seriously injured on Thursday after a fireworks factory exploded in central Italy, the local fire service said.
North Korean leader Kim visits war graves before “victory” day
PYONGYANG (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided on Thursday over a commemoration at a war cemetery as the country prepares to mark the 60th anniversary of what is sees as its victory in the Korean War with defiance of old enemy the Unite…
Former Australian PM calls refugee camps ‘Gulags’; opposition eyes military fix
CANBERRA (Reuters) – A former Australian prime minister denounced offshore refugee detention camps as Soviet-style “Gulags” on Thursday and the opposition proposed empowering the military to stop boats of asylum seekers days before a national election …
China says military aircraft near Japan on training mission
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Chinese military aircraft that flew through international airspace near Japan’s southern islands, prompting Japan to scramble fighter jets, was on a routine training mission, China’s state media reported on Thursday.
European court says Russia’s Khodorkovsky case not political
STRASBOURG (Reuters) – A European court ruled on Thursday Russia had a legitimate case against ex-oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and business partner Platon Lebedev over alleged tax fraud, rejecting suggestions it had been political motivated.
Turkish teenager dies from stray bullets from Syria
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – A 15-year-old Turkish boy died late on Wednesday from injuries sustained last week when he was hit by stray bullets from Syria during clashes between Kurdish fighters and Islamist rebels near the Turkish border, hospital …
UAE embassy compound attacked in Libyan capital
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Unidentified assailants fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the United Arab Emirates embassy compound in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Thursday, the latest in a series of attacks on foreign targets in the North African country.
Insight: Missing red diary at heart of Italy’s dark history
PALERMO, Sicily (Reuters) – More than 20 years after anti-mafia hero Paolo Borsellino was killed by a huge bomb, his missing diary is still at the heart of one of Italy’s murkiest and most enduring mysteries.
Japan to mull pre-emptive strike ability in defense update
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is likely to start considering acquiring the ability to launch pre-emptive military strikes in a planned update of its basic defense policies, the latest step away from the constraints of its pacifist constitution.
Japanese PM unlikely to visit Yasukuni shrine on August 15: media
TOKYO (Reuters) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is unlikely to visit Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, seen in much of Asia as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism, on the emotive August 15 anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War Two to avoid upsetting China and …
