Brazil braces for ruling that could bar Lula from 2018 race
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (Reuters) – An appeals court will decide on Wednesday whether to uphold the corruption conviction of Brazil’s most influential politician, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a decision that would likely bar him from runnin…
Blast near Save the Children aid group office in Afghanistan, official says
JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Attackers set off a car bomb near the office of the Save the Children aid agency in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Wednesday and then clashed with security forces, a provincial government spokesman said.
EU ambassador says he expects release of Swedish citizen detained by China
BEIJING (Reuters) – The European Union’s Ambassador to China said on Wednesday he expects Chinese authorities to immediately release Swedish citizen and Hong Kong-based bookseller Gui Minhai, echoing demands from Stockholm.
Mattis sees Indonesian forces drink snake blood, roll in glass
JAKARTA (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis saw Indonesian troops drink snake blood, roll in glass, break bricks with their heads, walk on fire, and more, in a rare military demonstration on Wednesday meant to show the unique skills of Indone…
Personal details of over 200,000 Malaysian organ donors leaked online: report
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Personal details of over 200,000 Malaysian organ donors and their next of kin have been leaked, with the data available online for over a year, a local tech portal reported on Tuesday.
U.S. State Department creates Cuba Internet Task Force
HAVANA (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that it had created a Cuba Internet Task Force to promote “the free and unregulated flow of information” on the Communist-run island, an action denounced by Cuban state media as subversive.
Japan PM Abe says to attend Pyeongchang Olympics
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday he would attend the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea next month, after reports he would not attend due to a dispute over “comfort women” forced to work in Japan’s wartime militar…
Twin car bombs kill more than 30 in Libya’s Benghazi: officials
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – A double car bombing in the east Libyan city of Benghazi on Tuesday left at least 33 people dead and dozens more wounded, including senior security figures and civilians, officials said.
U.S. stresses Lebanon must cut Hezbollah from financial system
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon must cut Iran-backed Hezbollah from the financial sector, a U.S. official on combating illicit finance said on Tuesday, two weeks after Washington began a new push to disrupt the militant group’s global financing routes.
Pence aims to counter North Korea ‘propaganda’ at Olympics: White House
ABOARD AIR FORCE TWO (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Mike Pence plans to use his attendance at the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month to try to counter what he sees as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s effort to “hijack” the games with a propaganda campaign, a White House official said on Tuesday.
