International

Head of France’s main opposition UMP party to step down amid allegations of party funding fraud

The head of France’s main opposition UMP party to step down amid allegations of party funding fraud as UMP officials allegedly told company to produce fake invoices opening race on for UMP leadership and its 2017 presidential ticket. Francois Cope, head of France’s main opposition UMP party, agreed to step down amid allegations of party funding fraud, party officials said, triggering a race to secure the conservative party’s ticket for the 2017 presidential election. Ivy […]

China defends Tiananmen crackdown on eve of 25th anniversary

(Reuters)– China defended the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Tuesday (June 3), the eve of the 25th anniversary, saying it had chosen the correct path for the sake of the people. For the ruling Communist Party, the 1989 demonstrations that clogged Tiananmen Square inBeijing and spread to other cities remain taboo after the government termed the protests “counter-revolutionary”. The anniversary of the date on which troops shot their way into central Beijing in 1989 has never been publicly marked […]

Afghan president fumes at prisoner deal made behind his back: source

(Reuters) – The Afghan president is angry at being kept in the dark over a deal to free five Taliban leaders in exchange for a captured U.S. soldier, and accuses Washington of failing to back a peace plan for the war-torn country, a senior source said on Monday. The five prisoners were flown to Qatar on Sunday as part of a secret agreement to release Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who left Afghanistan for Germany on the same day. The […]

U.S. unveils sweeping plan to slash power plant pollution

BY VALERIE VOLCOVICI AND JEFF MASON (Reuters) – The U.S. power sector must cut carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels under federal regulations unveiled on Monday that form the centerpiece of the Obama administration’s climate change strategy. The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal is one of the most significant environmental rules proposed by the United States, and could transform the power sector, which relies on coal for nearly 38 percent of electricity. It also set off a […]

Snubs, harsh words at Asia security meet as US and Japan rile China

(Reuters) – When Japan’s defence minister greeted the deputy chief of staff of China’s army at a regional security forum this weekend, he was undiplomatically snubbed. Lieutenant General Wang Guanzhong said he was incensed by comments from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe implicitly holding China responsible for territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas and later by U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s accusations that Beijing was destabilising the region. “When Mr Abe spoke just now, […]

Thai army rulers prepare emergency economic measures

(Reuters) – The military junta running Thailand has drawn up a list of emergency measures such as price caps on fuel and loan guarantees for small firms to kick-start an economy threatened by recession after months of political turmoil. The plans, outlined by Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong late on Sunday after a meeting with officials at economic ministries, take in longer-term measures such as the development of special economic zones on the borders with Myanmar, Laos and Malaysia. The […]