HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on Aug. 23, with the southern African country’s extended economic crisis and accusations of a government crackdown against its opponents expected to once again take centre stage. WHO IS RUNNING? There are 11 candidates vying for the presidency. However, the key contest is between incumbent…
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Hollywood’s striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA actors’ union filed a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Comcast’s NBCUniversal on Tuesday, accusing the company of blocking a picket area. The unions said NBCUniversal infringed its freedom to picket and endangered its members by obstructing a public sidewalk…
By James Pomfret and Greg Torode HONG KONG (Reuters) – China’s appointment of a top intelligence official to run Hong Kong’s national security regime underscores its determination to tighten its grip on the financial hub, according to diplomats and analysts. Dong Jingwei, 59, is the highest-level Chinese security official to be appointed to a senior…
By Ed Davies (Reuters) -The U.S. military identified a soldier who made an unauthorised crossing into North Korea on Tuesday as Private Travis T. King and said he was facing disciplinary action before he fled during a tour of the heavily fortified border area. He is believed to be in custody in the North, but…
TAIPEI (Reuters) -There is no reason for China to take “provocative” action in response to brief visits to the United States next month by Taiwan Vice President William Lai, the top U.S. diplomat in Taipei said on Wednesday. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military and political pressure over the…
By Catarina Demony and Andrew Gray (Reuters) -Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva said on Wednesday he will send the European Union a counter-proposal on the long-delayed trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur in the coming two or three weeks. Lula, who spoke after the two-day EU-CELAC (Community of Latin American and…
KABUL (Reuters) – The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, a major humanitarian organisation, has paused some of its operations, it said on Wednesday, after a Taliban order halting Swedish activities in the country. The Taliban administration last week said all activities by Sweden in Afghanistan must stop in response to the burning of a Koran in…
By Jan Schwartz and Victoria Waldersee HAMBURG/BERLIN (Reuters) – As Volkswagen regears its strategy around boosting stock market value, investors warned its efforts would be wasted if it does not address the elephant in the room: the lack of a succession plan for its supervisory board. The market needs to know who will take over…
By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) – Pacific Islands nations Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are considering forming defence forces and have discussed the matter with Australia, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Wednesday. Security partnerships in the region, where currently only five out of 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) bloc have a military,…
By William Schomberg and Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s high rate of inflation fell by more than expected in June and was its slowest in over a year at 7.9%, according to data that will ease some of the pressure on the Bank of England to keep on raising interest rates sharply. Sterling weakened and…
