Germany adopts Armenian ‘genocide’ resolution
German lawmakers passed a resolution Thursday recognising the World War I massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide, defying Turkey’s warnings that the vote could hurt ties.
Only one MP voted against and another abstained, as parliament approved overwhelmingly by a show of hands the resolution titled “Remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in 1915 and 1916”.
Obama to host Singapore PM for talks
AFP, Washington
US President Barack Obama will host Singapore’s prime minister for talks on a stalled trans-Pacific trade pact, maritime tensions with China and a prestigious White House state dinner.
The White House said Obama would host Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on August 2, hoping to woo an ally that has “served as an anchor for the US rebalance to Asia.”
Over 100 migrants land on Greece’s Crete island
Reuters, Athens
A group of 113 mostly Afghan migrants has landed on Greece’s biggest island Crete, officials said on Wednesday, the first big arrival on the island since the migrant crisis began.
Crete, Greece’s southernmost island, lies north of Libya and Egypt.
Bus explosion kills 8 Vietnamese in Laos
AP, Hanoi
A local official says an explosion on a bus in southern Laos near Vietnamese border has killed eight people and injured three others.
All the victims were Vietnamese returning to their home province of Nghe An in central Vietnam, a border guard official at the Cha Lo checkpoint said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The Vietnamese driver and his assistant were unhurt.
Thousands evacuated from flood-hit Paris
AP, Paris
French media say that thousands have been evacuated as floods continue to threaten homes and businesses across the Paris region.
