Thailand's King Rama X - from pilot prince to powerful monarch

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun will be officially crowned as the 10th king of the Chakri dynasty on May 4, after taking the throne following the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in late 2016.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2IVLzfb

Indonesia jails Pole for treason in Papua after meeting activists

An Indonesian court jailed on Thursday a Polish man for five years after finding him guilty of plotting against the state with separatist activists in the easternmost province of Papua, his lawyer said.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2Wl73FA

Strike by Tunisian fuel workers leads to queues and empty pumps

Fuel distribution workers in Tunisia began a three-day strike on Thursday to demand higher wages, leading to long queues and empty pumps at petrol stations across the North African nation.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2VFSlvJ

Turkey, U.S. getting closer on issue of Syria safe zone: foreign minister

Turkey and the United States are getting closer to an agreement on the details of a planned safe zone in northeast Syria along the Turkish border, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2GXrzH2

Thai king to pay homage to ancestors ahead of coronation

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn will pay homage to his ancestors on Thursday as part of preparations for his elaborate coronation ceremonies this weekend.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2Y62BLp

Factbox - The 10 Ramas: the kings of Thailand's Chakri dynasty

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Thursday paid tribute to his ancestors in a ceremony ahead of his official coronation this weekend, when he will take the formal title King Rama X, the 10th king in the Chakri dynasty.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2GZzhR6

Julian Assange says he does not want to be extradited to the United States

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange told a London court on Thursday he did not want to be extradited to the United States to face trial for one of the largest compromises of classified information in history.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2DKXnwC

Myanmar troops kill 6, detain scores in Rakhine over suspected rebel links: military spokesman

Myanmar security forces shot dead at least six people in the troubled western state of Rakhine on Thursday, after soldiers and police detained hundreds of people at a school, a military spokesman said.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2WpZQEl

Cyprus justice minister resigns over serial killings uproar

Cyprus's justice minister resigned on Thursday amid public uproar at how police handled disappearances of foreign women, victims of a suspected serial killer whose actions went undetected for almost three years.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2JbeoE2

India calls for Pakistan's blacklisting by terror finance watchdog

India will ask the global money laundering and terror finance watchdog to put Pakistan on a blacklist of countries that fail to meet international standards in stopping financial crime, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2UUuDr2

Thailand's new queen: flight attendant to bodyguard to royalty

Thailand has a new queen just in time for the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn in elaborate Buddhist and Brahmin ceremonies this weekend in Bangkok.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2V7wv4O

Russia and Syrian army step up attacks on rebel held northwestern Syria: residents, medics

Russian and Syrian forces intensified air strikes and ground shelling in northwestern Syria overnight in one of the heaviest assaults on the last rebel bastion in recent months, opposition members, rescuers and residents said on Thursday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2IUJfFc

Turkish prosecutors probe Istanbul election irregularities: Anadolu

Turkish prosecutors launched 32 investigations into allegations of irregularities in Istanbul's local elections on March 31 and summoned more than 100 polling station officials for questioning as suspects, state-owned Anadolu news agency said on Thursday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2XYJ13r