South Korea raises diplomatic alert levels citing North Korea threats
By Hyunsu Yim SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's foreign ministry on Thursday raised the terrorism alert level for five diplomatic offices in the region citing intelligence that North Korea may attempt to harm its officials. The five locations include...
1h ago
Analysis-Low turnout, apathy in India election a worry for Modi's campaign
By Manoj Kumar and Aftab Ahmed NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A lower turnout so far in India's long general election has rattled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign managers, raising into question whether his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies...
1h ago
Israeli gov't gets new May 16 deadline in ultra-Orthodox conscription feud
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured another reprieve in a long-running Israeli dispute over exemptions of ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service, with the Supreme Court on Thursday deferring the deadline for a new con...
1h ago
Switzerland says Russia not invited 'at this stage' to Ukraine peace talks
ZURICH (Reuters) - The Swiss government said on Thursday that Russia has not been invited "at this stage" to talks to be held in Switzerland in mid-June aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine. "Switzerland is ...
2h ago
Palestinian security force kills Islamic Jihad gunman in rare internal clash
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian security officers killed a gunman in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, a rare intra-Palestinian clash whose circumstances were disputed and which the fighter's faction described as an Israeli-style "ass...
2h ago
34,596 Palestinians killed in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct.7, Gaza health ministry says
DUBAI (Reuters) - At least 34,596 Palestinians have been killed and 77,816 injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct.7, the health ministry in the enclave said in a statement on Thursday. (Reporting by Nidal al Mughrabi in Cairo; Ed...
2h ago
Sustainable living offers hope for future for Hungarian families
By Krisztina Than and Krisztina Fenyo LADANYBENE, Hungary (Reuters) - Laszlo Kemencei lives as sustainably as possible on his small farm in eastern Hungary. He believes the land is effectively borrowed from his young daughter, so he must do all he ...
2h ago
Analysis-Spain PM Sanchez's political gambles face litmus test in Catalan election
By Joan Faus BARCELONA (Reuters) - Crunch elections in Catalonia next week will test the wisdom of the latest political gambles by Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who aims to use the vote to buoy his power nationally but risks inadvertently a...
3h ago
Analysis-Russia can't match a Western asset seizure, but it can inflict pain
By Alexander Marrow LONDON (Reuters) - Russia's ability to mete out like-for-like retaliation if Western leaders seize its frozen assets has been eroded by dwindling foreign investment, but officials and economists say there are still ways it can s...
3h ago
Greek summer wildfire threat nears, outpacing plans to contain it
By Angeliki Koutantou ATHENS (Reuters) - When firefighters arrived at a blaze in a pine forest on the Greek island of Rhodes last July, flames were already leaping above the trees into the night sky. The volunteers needed to act fast, but dense veg...
3h ago
Papua New Guinea has 'human capital crisis', says World Bank
By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) - The World Bank has urged the largest Pacific Island nation, Papua New Guinea, to address a "human capital crisis" and invest more in educating children, who suffer high rates of stunted growth and illiteracy, a...
4h ago
South Korea parliament approves bill on new inquiry into deadly 2022 crowd crush
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's National Assembly voted on Thursday to approve a bill backed by the ruling and opposition parties to launch a fresh probe into the deadly Halloween crowd crush in the capital Seoul in 2022. An earlier bill, which was...
5h ago
Philippines summons Chinese diplomat over South China Sea flare-up
MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines summoned a Chinese diplomat on Thursday to protest Beijing's use of water cannon against Filipino vessels at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, describing it as harassment and "dangerous manoeuvres". Its for...
5h ago
Syrians accuse Russia of hitting hospital in new complaint filed with U.N. rights committee
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Syrian man and an aid organisation have accused Russia of violating international law by deliberately bombing a hospital in northern Syria in 2019, in a new complaint filed at the United Nations Human Rights Committee this week...
6h ago
Road collapse in southern China kills 36, reports state media
(Reuters) - A collapse of an expressway section in China's Guangdong province caused vehicles to plunge and killed 36 people while injuring another 30, state media reported on Thursday, as millions in the country travel for the May Day holiday brea...
7h ago
Taiwan says may be hard to attend WHO assembly, Blinken offers support
By Ben Blanchard TAIPEI (Reuters) - It will be hard for Taiwan to attend this year's World Health Organization annual assembly, and it hopes more countries will support its presence, the island's foreign minister said on Thursday after the United S...
8h ago
Solomon Islands lawmakers select Manele as new prime minister
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Solomon Islands lawmakers selected a new prime minister in a secret ballot on Thursday, choosing foreign minister Jeremiah Manele, who has pledged to continue the Pacific Island nation's foreign policy that saw it grow close to C...
9h ago
Solomon Islands chooses Jeremiah Manele as new prime minister
By Kirsty Needham (Reuters) - Solomon Islands lawmakers selected a new prime minister in a secret ballot on Thursday, choosing foreign minister Jeremiah Manele, who has pledged to continue the Pacific Island nation's foreign policy that saw it grow...
9h ago
Biden blames China, Japan and India's economic woes on 'xenophobia'
By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that "xenophobia" from China to Japan and India is hobbling their growth, as he argued that migration has been good for the U.S. economy. "One of the reasons why our e...
11h ago
Venezuela's Maduro says minimum income will be $130 per month
By Deisy Buitrago CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday that minimum income for workers will be $130 a month, without explaining what bonuses for public sector employees and pensioners will be included in that to...
11h ago
US Democrats press Biden to prevent Israeli assault on Rafah
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's administration faced renewed pressure on Wednesday from his fellow Democrats to influence Israel not to launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the city where almost half of the ...
11h ago
Israel's military chief of staff: We are 'preparing for an offensive in the north'
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's military chief of staff said on Wednesday that the offensive operation in Gaza "will continue with strength" and that Israel was "preparing for an offensive in the north". The head of the armed forces, Herzi Halevi, d...
12h ago
Missile strikes Ukrainian port of Odesa, 13 injured, regional governor says
(Reuters) - A Russian ballistic missile struck the Ukrainian port of Odesa late on Wednesday, injuring at least 13 people and triggering a large fire, Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. Pictures and video posted on media Telegram channe...
14h ago
More than 50% of Gaza pier constructed - Pentagon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States military has so far constructed over 50% of a maritime pier that will eventually be placed off the coast of Gaza to speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. "As of...
16h ago
Tens of thousands of Colombians march in support of Petro's reforms
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people marched in Colombia's biggest cities on Wednesday to support reforms proposed by President Gustavo Petro which he says will tackle inequality, but which have struggled to win congressional approval. Th...
16h ago