U.S., Taliban have negotiated proposal for seven-day reduction in violence: Pentagon chief
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Thursday that the United States and the Taliban had negotiated a proposal for a seven-day reduction in violence.
WW2 bombing commemorated in far-right stronghold Dresden
Germans on Thursday commemorate 75 years since Allied bombing raids on Dresden killed 25,000 people just three months before the end of World War Two in an operation that still fuels the surging support for the far right to this day.
Spain orders detention of ex-head of Mexico oil firm pending extradition request
Spain’s High Court on Thursday ordered Emilio Lozoya, former chief executive of Mexican state oil firm Pemex, to be held in a Spanish jail pending an extradition request from Mexico where he faces corruption charges.
Russia alarmed by U.S. Air Force visit to Norwegian island
Russia said on Thursday it was alarmed by a trip to a Norwegian outpost in the Arctic by a U.S. Air Force unit and urged Oslo to refrain from what it said were de-stabilizing moves in the strategic region.
Exclusive: Ireland’s Fianna Fail to seek to form government without Sinn Fein
Ireland’s center-right Fianna Fail party will seek to form a government that does not include left-wing nationalists Sinn Fein, a senior member of the party said on Thursday following a meeting of the party’s lawmakers.
Coronavirus deaths in China spike, Japan has first fatality
The Chinese province at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak reported a record rise in deaths and thousands more infections using a broader definition on Thursday, while Japan became the third place outside mainland China to suffer a fatality.
Vietnam quarantines rural community of 10,000 because of coronavirus
Vietnam has quarantined a community of 10,000 people near the capital, Hanoi, for 20 days because of fears the coronavirus could spread there, two local officials told Reuters on Thursday.
Mass shooting puts Thai army officers’ side deals under scrutiny
A Thai soldier’s killing of 29 people in a rage over a housing deal involving his superior officer has brought attention to the business dealings of army personnel in a country that just emerged from direct military rule.
Pakistan’s government approves new social media rules, opponents cry foul
Pakistan’s government has approved new rules for regulating cyber space which opponents say could be used to stifle dissent and free speech.
More letter bombs found at Dutch offices
A letter bomb caught fire at a bank in Amsterdam on Thursday and another was disarmed at an office near Utrecht, the latest in a series of such attacks in the Netherlands this week.
