A demonstrator taunts Police officials after a Donald Trump campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.

Asia

Russian nuclear-capable strategic bombers have flown over the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, prompting Japan and South Korea to scramble jets to escort them, Russia said. Russia's Defence Ministry said in a statement the Tupolev-95MS bombers, code named "Bears" by NATO, flew over neutral waters and were accompanied by Russian Sukhoi-35S fighter jets and A-50 early warning and control aircraft.

Top U.S. general in Afghanistan says Trump's plan means long-term U.S. commitment

Trump to meet scandal-hit Malaysian leader in September

Exclusive: In China, the Party’s push for influence inside foreign firms stirs fears

Macau struggles to recover from Typhoon Hato's destruction

Ahead of Lee verdict, Samsung Group lacks leadership 'Plan B'

Politics

President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans rebuked him after his threat to shut down the U.S. government over funding for a border wall rattled markets and cast a shadow over congressional efforts to raise the country's debt ceiling and pass spending bills.

Reuters TV: Trump’s shutdown talk spooks Washington and Wall St

A federal court judge on Wednesday threw out a Texas voter identification law that was supported by the Trump administration, but the state's attorney general said his office would appeal the ruling. The judge's ruling said changes to the law passed earlier this year by the state's Republican-controlled legislature that were meant to be less discriminatory than an earlier one did not accomplish that.

White House to send memo to Pentagon soon on transgender ban

U.S.

The U.S. Navy said human remains found by Malaysia were not one of its 10 sailors missing after a collision between one of its guided-missile destroyers and a merchant vessel east of Singapore this week.

Driver hits three protesters in St. Louis: police

Powerball ticket sold in Massachusetts wins $700 million jackpot

‘Breathe, Ronald, breathe’: The court case that is curbing Taser use

Europe

A Spanish man was detained by Dutch police after he was found driving a van with gas canisters near a Rotterdam venue where a rock concert was canceled due to a threat of a possible attack. Although Spanish police tipped the Dutch to potential danger at the venue known as Maassilo where California band Allah-Las was set to play, a judicial source in Spain told Reuters there was no link to the attacks in Spain last week.

Flying water taxis highlight French startup frustrations

EU citizens leaving UK pushes down net migration after Brexit vote

A Buddhist monk looks at a 'robot priest' wearing a Buddhist robe during its demonstration at Life Ending Industry EXPO 2017 in Tokyo, Japan August 23, 2017.

Middle East

Even as tensions between the United States and Russia fester, there is one surprising place where their military-to-military contacts are quietly weathering the storm: Syria.

Qatar enacts law to protect foreign domestic workers

Yemen's Saleh rallies followers in Sanaa amid Houthi rift

Qatar banks seek Asian, European funding as diplomatic crisis bites

Commentary

Tensions between the United States and North Korea might be grabbing the headlines, but that isn’t the only crisis that could spark a major war, writes columnist Peter Apps. From the Middle East to the Himalayas to the Balkans, relations between potential adversaries seem to be deteriorating alarmingly sharply, says Apps. "And where the Trump administration should be engaged in tamping down hostilities, it is either escalating them or missing in action."

Business

After a turbulent year of anti-globalization backlash, central bankers still argue open borders and free trade are the key to more jobs, growth and prosperity. But when they meet for the U.S. Federal Reserve's annual research conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, this week, it will be with the growing recognition that the world economic order they helped create could unravel unless the benefits of globalization can reach those left behind.

World stocks steady; focus on Jackson Hole keeps market cautious

Western Digital group to offer 1.9 trillion yen for Toshiba's chip unit: sources

Amazon deal for Whole Foods wins U.S. regulatory, shareholder approvals

Breakingviews: Samsonite luggage could travel more

Regulator, Airbus issue software fix for A350 on explosion risk

Autos

Ford has appointed Jason Luo, head of auto parts maker Key Safety Systems, to run its China operations, a move seen as signaling its resolve to revive sales in the world's biggest car market. The U.S. automaker hopes Luo, the first executive from mainland China to hold its top job there, will reprise his work at KSS, where he engineered a significant surge in China revenue.

Fintech startup AutoFi raises $10 million

UK car output reverses downward trend with 7.8 percent rise in July

Tesla's sales head to get $700,000 payout on meeting targets