Germany’s Seehofer rejects blame for deportee’s suicide after birthday boast
Germany’s interior minister deflected blame on Wednesday for the suicide of an Afghan man among a group deported to Kabul, after opponents called for the immigration hardliner to resign for boasting that the deportations took place on his birthday.
Netanyahu to Putin: remove Iran from Syria, Assad safe from Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russia on Wednesday that Israel does not intend to threaten Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s rule and asked Moscow to work to remove Iranian forces from Syria, an Israeli official said.
Trump calls Germany ‘captive’ of Russia; demands higher defense spending
U.S. President Donald Trump accused Germany on Wednesday of being a “captive” of Russia due to its energy reliance, before a NATO summit where he pressed allies to more than double defense spending.
Lawmaker in Indian PM Modi’s party charged in connection with rape
A lawmaker from India’s ruling party was charged on Wednesday in connection with the rape of a teenage girl, a case that has embarrassed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government amid a spate of sexual violence that has stirred street protests.
Family say British citizen missing in Russia at World Cup
A British citizen named Douglas Moreton who traveled to Russia to watch the World Cup has gone missing and has not been seen since last Friday, a relative of the man wrote on social media on Wednesday.
EU urged to draft law on child labor, deforestation in coffee and cocoa
The European Union must set mandatory rules to tackle child labor and deforestation in the cocoa and coffee sectors, after years of voluntary action has failed to spur widespread change, stakeholders and policymakers said on Wednesday.
Second Pakistani party criticizes ‘pre-poll rigging’ in election
The party of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday decried what it called “pre-poll rigging” ahead of Pakistan’s July 25 election, saying the reopening of a criminal case against its co-chairman was politically motivated.
EU watchdog criticizes Malta for anti-money laundering shortcomings
The European Union’s top banking watchdog has found “general and systematic shortcomings” in Malta’s application of EU anti-money-laundering rules, it said on Wednesday.
Congo accuses Uganda of killing 12 fishermen in border dispute
Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday accused Ugandan forces of shooting dead 12 Congolese fishermen last week on a lake straddling their shared border, something Uganda’s army denied.
How could Iran disrupt Gulf oil flows?
The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said last week that Tehran would block all exports through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf if countries heed U.S. calls to stop buying Iranian oil from November.
