Philippines’ Duterte jokes about rape amid concern over martial law abuses
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has sought to reassure soldiers who might be accused of committing abuses under martial law, and jokingly said that if any of them were to rape three women, he would personally claim responsibili…
Taiwan tells China don’t use ‘black box’ hearing against detained activist
TAIPEI (Reuters) – China must not conduct a “black box” hearing against a Taiwan activist arrested on suspicion of subversion, but openly judge his case and disclose all the evidence, Taiwan’s ruling party said on Saturday.
Beijing appoints Cai Qi as party chief: state media
BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing’s mayor Cai Qi has been appointed as party chief of the capital city of Beijing, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.
Panama to tighten immigration policy for Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – Panama’s government said on Friday it will tighten its immigration policy toward Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua, including halving the amount of time tourists from the countries can stay in the isthmus nation.
Five decapitated bodies found in Mexico’s Veracruz state
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican police found on Friday the decapitated bodies of five people with apparent signs of torture in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, which has long been ravaged by drug smugglers and human traffickers.
Suicide bomber wounds several Lebanese soldiers in north: security sources
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest, killing himself and lightly wounding several Lebanese soldiers in the north of the country on Friday, security sources and the army said.
New French government resists pressure for minister to step down
PARIS (Reuters) – The new French government resisted pressure on Friday for a minister to step down over a business deal, saying it would be up to voters to decide whether or not to punish him in an election next month.
UK police make 11th arrest over Manchester bomb attack
LONDON (Reuters) – British police on Friday arrested a man in connection with this week’s suicide attack on a concert in Manchester, taking the total number of arrests since the bombing to 11.
Iraqi forces call on civilians to flee Mosul’s Islamic State-held Old City
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The Iraqi air force dropped leaflets on Friday urging residents in the Islamic State-held Old City center of Mosul to flee, raising fears among humanitarian organizations for the safety of civilians there.
Under state pressure, Venezuela TV limits live coverage of protests
CARACAS (Reuters) – In the mountains above Caracas, two government officials often stand watch over the antennas of TV news network Globovision, poised to take it off air if regulators object to coverage of anti-government protests, according to two st…
