Runways at Heathrow Airport shut after BA incident

LONDON (Reuters) – London's Heathrow Airport closed both its runways on Friday following an incident with a British Airways plane, the airport operator said. British Airways said it was investigating the issue and operator Heathrow Limited said all the passengers had been evacuated. (Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Stephen Addison) Read more here: Runways at Heathrow Airport shut after BA incident

Market turbulence poses first serious test for Abenomics

By William Mallard TOKYO (Reuters) – This week's turbulence in Tokyo markets exposes a key risk of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's all-in strategy to revive Japan's economy – if investor confidence falters, the government and the Bank of Japan may be left with few options to turn the tide. On Friday, the Nikkei share average had another tumultuous session, traversing a 7.1 percent range between positive and negative territory before ending up 0.9 percent. The violent moves kept investors on edge after a 7. … Read more here: Market turbulence poses first serious test for Abenomics

Russia says Syrian government agrees in principle to conference

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Friday the Syrian government had agreed in principle to attend an international peace conference proposed by Russia and the United States, and criticized what it called attempts to undermine peace efforts. “Damascus has expressed its readiness in principle to participate in the international conference in order for Syrians themselves to find a political path to a solution,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said. … Read more here: Russia says Syrian government agrees in principle to conference