Death of Islamic State’s Shishani may damage foreign recruitment
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The death of Islamic State’s “minister of war” may disrupt its operations, a senior U.S. military officer said on Thursday, and an Iraqi security expert said it could damage the group’s important recruitment efforts in ex-Soviet rep…
Japan emperor abdication debate could stir discussion on female succession
TOKYO (Reuters) – Reports that Japanese Emperor Akihito intends to abdicate within a few years could re-open debate about female succession, but any such move is likely to provoke strong opposition within the current conservative ruling party.
Kerry meets with Putin about cooperating against Islamic State in Syria
MOSCOW (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin about boosting military and intelligence cooperation against Islamic State and al Qaeda in Syria and told him that without “concrete, near-term steps,” dipl…
School out of reach for nearly one in 10 children worldwide, UNESCO says
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Some 263 million children worldwide, nearly one in 10, do not go to school, posing a daunting hurdle to the United Nations’ efforts to educate all children by 2030, the U.N.’s cultural agency UNESCO reported on F…
Texas woman held in China since 2015 to face security charges: Newsweek
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Houston, Texas, businesswoman held in China since March last year is expected to be charged with violating its national security, Newsweek reported on Thursday, citing a U.S. State Department official.
Dutch to withdraw seven ‘essential’ helicopters from Mali
UNITED NATIONS/BAMAKO (Reuters) – Dutch forces are preparing to withdraw seven “essential” helicopters from the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, with no clarity yet on how they will be replaced, the United Nations said on Thursday.
Guatemala police raid rival gangs, more than 100 arrested
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – Guatemalan police captured 106 suspected gang members in a series of raids against warring gangs responsible for a wave of drug violence, authorities said on Thursday.
New Brazil speaker marks return of center-right party to main stage
BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) – A college dropout born in exile during Brazil’s long military dictatorship was elected as the new speaker of the house for Latin America’s biggest nation, thrusting his center-right party back into the spotlight amid deep…
Oxfam urges U.S. to end embargo on struggling Cuba
HAVANA (Reuters) – The director of Oxfam broke the global aid agency’s longtime silence on the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, urging the American Congress to lift it “sooner rather than later” given the island’s mounting economic woes.
Obama will meet with Mexican president at White House on Friday, July 22
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Friday, July 22, at the White House, the White House said.
