German biscuit heiress draws ire with remark on Nazi forced labor
The heiress of a German biscuits empire has stirred outrage after she appeared to play down the hardship suffered by dozens of people forced to work at the family business under Nazi rule.
Bulgarian farm minister resigns amid guest houses probe
Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Rumen Porozhanov resigned on Tuesday, the latest high-level official to step down in scandals involving purchases of luxury properties and the building of guest houses with EU aid for private use.
Spain pulls frigate from U.S. Gulf mission amid Iran differences
Spain said on Tuesday it had temporarily withdrawn a frigate from a U.S.-led combat group in the Gulf in a possible sign of diplomatic differences between Europe and Washington over Iran.
Saudi Arabia says oil facilities near Riyadh attacked
Saudi Arabia said explosive-laden drones had struck oil pumping stations in the Riyadh region on Tuesday in what it called an act of terrorism two days after Saudi oil tankers were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Warships and wives: debate in Indian election turns increasingly ugly
From jibes over the prime minister’s wife to criticism of the main opposition leader’s family holiday three decades ago, one trend stands out in this year’s general election campaign in India: this time, it’s personal.
A third of Thailand’s appointed senators linked to military, police
More than a third of Thailand’s newly appointed senators have military or police backgrounds, an official document showed on Tuesday, a sign the upper house will probably vote to entrench army dominance of government five years after a military coup.
Hong Kong lawmakers clash over what democrats call ‘evil’ extradition bill
Hong Kong legislators clashed on Tuesday over a proposed extradition law that would allow people to be sent to China for trial, after ugly brawls in the legislature over the weekend.
Philippines gives thumbs-up to Duterte as loyalists dominate election
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte looked set on Tuesday to strengthen his grip on power after unofficial results of a mid-term election showed big wins for his candidates, and resounding public endorsement of his controversial rule.
Kremlin says U.S. has not offered a Putin-Trump G20 meeting despite Trump statement
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the United States had not made any formal proposal for U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet on the sidelines of a gathering of the G20 in Japan next month.
U.S. envoy urges response ‘short of war’ to Gulf tankers attack
The U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia said Washington should take what he called “reasonable responses short of war” after it had determined who was behind attacks on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
