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Pakistan: Gas Blast On School Bus Kills 17

Sat, 25 May 2013 08:28:04 +0100

Seventeen children in eastern Pakistan have been killed after a gas cylinder exploded on a bus taking them to school.

Pair grilled after UK fighter jets escort Pakistani plane

Sat, 25 May 2013 07:34:29 +0100

Two men arrested on a Pakistan International Airlines plane after fighter jets were scrambled to escort it to a London airport remained in custody Saturday for questioning by the police.

16 children die in Pakistan school bus fire

Sat, 25 May 2013 06:59:16 +0100

Sixteen children and a teacher were killed when their school bus caught fire in central Pakistan on Saturday, police said.

Pakistan school bus explosion and blaze kill 17 children - media

Sat, 25 May 2013 06:36:51 +0100

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Seventeen Pakistani children burnt to death on Saturday when a gas cylinder on the bus taking them to school exploded, media said. Ten children were injured in the blaze on the outskirts of Gujrat, 100 miles southeast of Islamabad, DawnNews said. Many vehicles in energy-starved Pakistan are powered by relatively cheap compressed natural gas and cylinder blasts are common. (Reporting by Nick Macfie; Editing by Ron Popeski)

Pakistan remains opposed to drones after Obama speech

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:22:43 +0100

The Pakistan government Friday repeated its view that US drone strikes in its territory were illegal, after President Barack Obama laid out new guidelines for their use.

Russia welcomes North Korea's readiness for dialogue

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:28:28 +0100

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia welcomes North Korea's declaration of readiness to return to talks with world powers, a senior Russian diplomat was cited by the Interfax news agency as saying on Friday. "The fact that Pyongyang has declared its readiness and desire to return to the negotiating table... deserves a positive assessment," Interfax quoted Russian Foreign Ministry special envoy Grigory Logvinov as saying. A North Korean envoy told China's president on Friday that his reclusive country was willing to take "positive actions", including returning to six-party nuclear talks with world powers. ...

North Korea says will take 'positive steps' for peace

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:28:28 +0100

By Terril Yue Jones and Sui-Lee Wee BEIJING (Reuters) - A North Korean envoy told China's president on Friday that his reclusive country was willing to take "positive actions" to ensure peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, as China steps up diplomatic efforts to bring Pyongyang back to talks. But Choe Ryong-hae, a special envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, made no offer to abandon North Korea's nuclear programme. The United States insists North Korea takes meaningful steps on denuclearisation before there can be dialogue. ...

North Korea willing to take action to ensure peace, envoy tells China

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:40:00 +0100

BEIJING (Reuters) - A North Korean envoy told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday that North Korea is willing to take "positive actions" to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, China's state media reported. Choe Ryong-hae, a "special envoy" of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, also said that North Korea was willing to make joint efforts to resolve problems through six-party talks and other forms of dialogue, the state-run China News Service said on its website. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Robert Birsel)

North Korea envoy hands letter from Kim Jong-un to China's Xi

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:36:50 +0100

BEIJING (Reuters) - A North Korean envoy handed on Friday a letter from North Korea's top leader, Kim Jong-un, to Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media reported. Choe Ryong-hae, a "special envoy" of the North Korean leader, handed the letter in Kim's own writing to Xi on Friday, the state-run China News Service said on its website, without providing any details. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Korean women scrap meeting Japanese mayor over brothel remarks

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:35:01 +0100

By Yoshiyuki Osada OSAKA, Japan (Reuters) - Two elderly South Korean women forced to work in Japanese war-time military brothels cancelled a meeting on Friday with the mayor of the city of Osaka after he refused to withdraw remarks asserting the brothels were "necessary" at the time. The mayor of Osaka, Toru Hashimoto, an outspoken populist who has often stirred controversy, sparked a storm of criticism at home and abroad when he said last week that the military brothels had been needed, and Japan has been unfairly singled out for wartime practices common among other militaries. ...

Japan PM heads to Myanmar on sales mission

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:43:25 +0100

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe flies to Myanmar Friday bearing almost $1 billion in development aid and a plan for a nationwide electricity grid as Japan tries to grab the box seats in the country's quickening development.

N. Korean envoy stresses dialogue in China talks

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:10:32 +0100

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's special envoy told a top Chinese defence official Friday that his country wants to solve problems on the Korean peninsula through dialogue, Beijing's state media said.

U.S. official hints at renewed Iranian sanctions waiver for India

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:15:59 +0100

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has made "tremendous progress" in reducing oil imports from Iran, a senior U.S. government official said on Friday, in a sign the South Asian nation is likely to get a third waiver from sanctions imposed by Washington against Tehran's nuclear programme. "All of the data is certainly pointing in a positive direction," U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman told reporters when asked about a possible waiver to India. U.S. ...

China says hopes visit of North Korean envoy can ease tension

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:41:11 +0100

BEIJING (Reuters) - China hopes that a visit by a senior North Korean envoy can ease tension in the region and help spur efforts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday. "We hope that this visit can ameliorate the present tension on the Korean peninsula and give new impetus to pushing for the denuclearisation of the peninsula," ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily briefing. ...

Korean "grannies" cancel meet with Osaka mayor over war brothel remarks

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:14:24 +0100

By Yoshiyuki Osada OSAKA, Japan (Reuters) - Two elderly South Korean women forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels abruptly cancelled a meeting with Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto after he refused to withdraw remarks asserting the brothel system was "necessary" at the time. Hashimoto sparked a firestorm of criticism at home and abroad when he said last week that the military brothels had been needed, and Japan has been unfairly singled out for wartime practices common among other countries' militaries. ...

Global Markets Down After Bernanke QE Talk

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:40:20 +0100

The FTSE lost close to 2% in early trading on the back of signs the US may wind down quantitative easing measures and weak Chinese data.

US Drone Strikes Have Killed Four Americans

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:07:46 +0100

The US government has admitted publicly for the first time that four American ciitizens have been killed in drone strikes since 2009 in Pakistan and Yemen.

North Korea says willing to take China's advice to start talks

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:45:19 +0100

By Ben Blanchard and Sui-Lee Wee BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea is willing to take China's advice and enter into talks, Chinese state television cited an envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as saying, following weeks of tension on the Korean peninsula after the North's latest nuclear test. However, that prospect seems unlikely as North Korea has repeatedly said it will not abandon nuclear weapons while the United States insists North Korea must take meaningful steps on denuclearisation before there can be talks. ...

Everest: Japanese Man Oldest To Reach Summit

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:05:11 +0100

An 80-year-old Japanese mountaineer has become the oldest man to reach the top of Mount Everest - but his record may be short-lived.

China offers 500 troops for UN Mali force

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:03:51 +0100

China has offered to send more than 500 soldiers to the UN force seeking to contain Islamist militants in Mali in what would be its biggest contribution to UN peacekeeping, diplomats said.

Taliban claim bomb in southwest Pakistan that kills 13

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:49:03 +0100

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility on Thursday for a bomb that killed 11 security personnel and two civilians in the southwestern city of Quetta. Sixteen people were wounded in the attack in the capital of Baluchistan province, and the death toll could rise, police said. The bomb was planted in a three-wheeled auto-rickshaw and blew up as a truck carrying the security men passed by. "We proudly claim responsibility for Thursday's blast in Quetta and the target was local police. ...

Japan man, 80, scales Everest, sets record

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:24 +0100

An 80-year-old Japanese man who underwent heart surgery in January reached the summit of Mount Everest on Thursday, becoming the oldest person to scale the world's highest mountain.

China warns blind dissident ahead of Taiwan trip

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:52:31 +0100

BEIJING (Reuters) - China warned blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng on Thursday to mind his language ahead of his trip next month to political rival Taiwan, on a visit which could infuriate Beijing if, as expected, Chen uses it to criticise Chinese rights abuses. China has been largely silent on the issue of Chen since he fled from house arrest and took refuge in the U.S. embassy in Beijing last year, straining Sino-U.S. relations, before he was allowed to leave for New York for study. Since then, Chen has taken his campaign to improve human rights in China to senior U.S. ...

China's Li effusive in praise of Pakistan, but not everyone buys it

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:17:36 +0100

By Nick Macfie ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang praised the Sino-Pakistan relationship to the hilt on Thursday, urging the "all-weather friends" to boost cooperation in business, trade, energy and infrastructure and build a long-vaunted economic corridor. But not everyone is convinced China has Pakistan interests totally at heart. Li arrived in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday on the second leg of his first official trip since taking office in March and after a visit to Pakistan and China's arch rival, India. He leaves for Switzerland and Germany later on Thursday. ...

Bomb kills 12 in southwest Pakistan

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:23:24 +0100

A bomb planted in a rickshaw tore through a vehicle used by security forces in southwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 12 people, police said.

Japan's wartime brothels were wrong, says 91-year-old veteran

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:54:06 +0100

By Linda Sieg and Ruairidh Villar SAGAMIHARA, Japan (Reuters) - When Masayoshi Matsumoto joined the Japanese army in 1943 and was sent to occupied China as a medic, he thought he was taking part in a righteous war to free Asia from the yoke of Western imperialism. Seven decades later, the 91-year-old retired Christian pastor says it's his mission to speak out about the injustice of the war and the sufferings of women, mostly Asian and many Korean, forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels. "I feel like a war criminal. ...

U.S. acknowledges killing four Americans in drone strikes

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:18:24 +0100

By Mark Hosenball and David Ingram WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government formally acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that it had killed four Americans, including militant cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who died in drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan. Attorney General Eric Holder named the dead U.S. citizens in a letter to members of Congress a day before President Barack Obama is expected to promise more transparency on national security issues in a speech on counterterrorism. ...

European banks stop sending money to North Korea - aid groups

Thu, 23 May 2013 00:14:27 +0100

By Megha Rajagopalan BEIJING (Reuters) - European aid groups said their banks in Europe had stopped sending money to North Korea in the wake of U.S. sanctions on Pyongyang's main foreign exchange bank, leaving them scrambling for a solution short of hand-carrying cash into the impoverished country. Aid groups said if it became impossible to send enough money to operate, donors might withdraw support for their programmes. ...

In China, food scares put Mao's self-sufficiency goal at risk

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:29:37 +0100

By David Stanway and Niu Shuping BEIJING (Reuters) - The discovery of dangerous levels of toxic cadmium in rice sold in the southern city of Guangzhou, the latest in a series of food scandals, has piled more pressure on China to clean up its food chain - possibly at the expense of Mao Zedong's cherished goal of self-sufficiency. ...

North Korea sanctions threaten humanitarian aid - group

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:18:02 +0100

By Emma Batha LONDON, May 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Aid agencies helping millions of people in North Korea could be forced to pull out after a Chinese bank cut ties with main foreign exchange bank, a humanitarian group said on Wednesday. The freeze - imposed amid growing concern over North Korea's nuclear ambitions - has made it impossible for aid agencies to transfer money to fund projects, many of them aimed at helping chronically malnourished children. Some aid workers are now resorting to bringing in cash in person, putting them at personal risk. ...

Analysis - From opera to exercises, U.S. and China deepen military ties

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:13:42 +0100

By Peter Apps, Political Risk Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even as the United States accuses China of military espionage and worries about Beijing's more strident posture in the Asia-Pacific region, the ties between the armed forces of the two nations have been getting closer. Direct contact between China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) and some of its potential adversaries has increased dramatically in the last two years. The first major public sign of the thaw was a joint concert by the U.S. ...

China, Pakistan plan 'economic corridor': Li

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:14:51 +0100

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Wednesday linked growth in his country's restive west with that in sluggish Pakistan, saying the two sides wanted to create an "economic corridor" to boost development.

China's Li offers to help end Pakistan energy crisis

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:19:34 +0100

By Nick Macfie ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - China and Pakistan should make cooperation on power generation a priority, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said, as Islamabad seeks to end an energy crisis that triggers power cuts of up to 20 hours a day, bringing the economy to a near standstill. Li arrived in the Pakistan capital under extra-tight security on Wednesday on the second leg of his first official trip since taking office in March and after a visit to Pakistan and China's arch rival, India. Li's plane was escorted by six air force fighter jets as it entered Pakistani air space. ...

Pope Francis urges China's Catholics to stay loyal to Rome

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:23:42 +0100

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Catholics in China to remain loyal to the Vatican, whose authority is challenged by China's Communist rulers. China's Catholics number between 8 and 12 million and are divided between the state-sanctioned Catholic Patriotic Association, which has installed bishops without Vatican approval, and an "underground" wing loyal to the Vatican that rejects state control. Francis's predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, made May 24 a day dedicated to prayer for China's Catholics. Francis said at his weekly audience in St. ...

Afghanistan's Karzai gives India military equipment "wish list"

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:30:12 +0100

By Ross Colvin NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday he had given a "wish list" of military equipment to India during a visit this week, presenting a conundrum for New Delhi as it weighs whether arming the Afghan army is in its interests. India wants to stabilise Afghanistan and is concerned about the resurgence of militant groups after foreign combat troops leave in 2014. But arming Afghanistan would alarm Pakistan. It takes issue with the influence of its old rival in Afghanistan. ...

N. Korea 'special envoy' in China meeting

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:15:33 +0100

A top North Korean general and confidant of leader Kim Jong-Un met a senior Chinese official in Beijing Wednesday, with relations between the allies strained ahead of a China-US summit.

North Korea sends top Kim Jong-un aide to Beijing

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:16:04 +0100

By Ju-min Park and Ben Blanchard SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea sent one of its top military officials as a "special envoy" from its leader Kim Jong-un to Beijing on Wednesday, accompanied by a high-powered delegation in what appeared to be a bid to mend frayed relations with its most important ally. The delegation led by Choe Ryong-hae, vice chairman of the country's top military body, was the most senior to visit China since Kim's kingmaker uncle Jang Song-thaek made the trip in August 2012. ...

Japan parliament approves child abduction treaty

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:37:55 +0100

Japan's parliament on Wednesday approved an international treaty on child abductions after decades of pressure from the United States and other Western nations.

Parents withdraw from inquiry into death of U.S. engineer Shane Todd

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:06:36 +0100

By Kevin Lim and Joyce Lim SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The parents of a U.S. engineer found dead in Singapore last year said on Wednesday they will not take part in the rest of a coroner's inquiry into his death, which they say was linked to a project involving the transfer of sensitive technology to China. In a statement issued through their lawyers, Rick and Mary Todd said they had lost confidence in the system investigating the death of their 31-year-old son, Shane, who was found hanging in his Singapore apartment last June. The Todds did not appear in court on Wednesday, the day after a U.S. ...

China charges six in sex video "extortion" case

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:47:58 +0100

BEIJING (Reuters) - A court in the city of Chongqing has charged six people with working together to blackmail government officials by recording videos of them having sex, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. The six were charged with extortion on Monday, Xinhua said, citing a statement from judicial authorities in Chongqing, where they are slated to be tried. Investigators said the group "lured officials into having sex with women and secretly recorded their encounters to blackmail them from 2008 to 2009", Xinhua said. ...