Japan top spokesman denies PM involved in another school scandal
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s top government spokesman denied on Wednesday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had intervened to help an educational institution run by a friend get permission to set up a veterinary school in a state special economic zone.
Islamic State claims attack on state-run TV station in Afghanistan
JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Militant group Islamic State on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a television station in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar that killed a security guard as well as all three attackers …
Greeks join nationwide strike over new round of bailout reforms
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek ferry, bus and train services were disrupted and civil servants and doctors stopped work in nationwide walkout on Wednesday, as lawmakers debated austerity measures that lenders want the indebted country to implement.
China installs rocket launchers on disputed South China Sea island: report
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has installed rocket launchers on a disputed reef in the South China Sea to ward off Vietnamese military combat divers, according to a state-run newspaper, offering new details on China’s ongoing military build-up.
Merkel’s conservatives extend lead over Social Democrats: poll
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives have extended their lead over the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) to 12 percentage points, a poll showed on Wednesday, almost four months before a federal election.
Honduras moves 773 gang members to complete prison shake-up
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – The Honduran government said on Tuesday it had moved 773 gang members to a maximum security prison, completing the relocation of some 2,000 highly dangerous inmates in a bid to prevent penitentiaries serving as command centers f…
South Korea’s Moon says ‘high possibility’ of conflict with North as missile crisis builds
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday there was a “high possibility” of conflict with North Korea, which is pressing ahead with nuclear and missile programs it says it needs to counter U.S. aggression.
U.S., Mexico bolster efforts to combat deadly tide of fentanyl
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The United States and Mexico pledged to step up efforts to beat the growing threat of fentanyl, a synthetic opiate up to 50 times more lethal than heroin blamed for the deaths of thousands of people in recent years, including ro…
Trump to reassure Saudi allies, promote business, talk tough on radicalism
WASHINGTON/RIYADH (Reuters) – When U.S. President Donald Trump meets Saudi princes in Riyadh on Saturday, he can expect a warmer welcome than the one given a year ago to his predecessor Barack Obama, who Riyadh considered soft on arch foe Iran and cool toward a bilateral relationship that is a mainstay of the Middle East’s security balance.
Brazil electoral court to take up case that may annul 2014 election
BRASILIA (Reuters) – The head of Brazil’s top electoral court said on Tuesday that justices would again next month take up a case that could annul the 2014 election on charges of illegal campaign financing and even unseat President Michel Temer.
