Sri Lanka on edge with scares, lock-downs and sweeps for bomb suspects
Sri Lankan authorities locked down the central bank and shut the road leading to the jittery capital’s airport because of a bomb scare on Thursday as more people were swept up in the search for those behind Easter Sunday bombings that killed 359.
Britain wants Brexit deal approved before July: May’s deputy
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government wants to get her thrice-defeated Brexit deal approved by parliament before the new European parliament opens in July, her de-facto deputy, David Lidington, said on Thursday.
Sri Lanka’s crisis of leadership opens space for nationalist Rajapaksas
Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother, then the defense secretary, crushed Tamil Tiger separatists with such ferocity ten years ago that Western powers sought war crime trials against them and greeted their defeat in elections …
Putin says U.S. guarantees unlikely to prompt North Korea to de-nuclearize
Russian President Vladimir Putin said after holding his first face-to-face talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday that U.S. security guarantees would probably not be enough to persuade Pyongyang to shut its nuclear program.
Sudan risks counter coup without deal on transition: opposition leader
Sudan could face a counter coup if military rulers and the opposition do not reach agreement on a handover of power to civilians, leading opposition figure and former prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi said on Thursday.
Vietnam leader Nguyen Phu Trong suffering from illness
Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong, the architect of the Southeast Asian country’s anti-corruption drive, has been suffering from an unspecified illness, four diplomatic sources have told Reuters.
Mexico vows to eradicate torture of detainees
Mexico’s new government vowed on Thursday to eradicate the torture of detainees which U.N. experts and activists said is systematically committed by security forces and investigators who go unpunished.
Putin: nothing wrong with us giving passports to east Ukraine residents
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday there was nothing wrong with easing rules for residents of Ukrainian rebel regions to receive Russian passports, a decision that prompted condemnation and calls for more sanctions against Moscow.
Germany, France condemn Russian citizenship decree for Ukraine
Germany and France condemn Russia’s legislative move simplifying requirements for people in eastern Ukraine to become Russian citizens, Germany’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Britain says jailing of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists is deeply disappointing
Britain’s foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday the jailing of four leaders of Hong Kong’s 2014 pro-democracy protests was deeply disappointing.
