South African police launch graft probe into Zuma son, Guptas
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa has launched a corruption probe into President Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane and the Guptas, a family of businessmen accused of wielding improper political influence, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.
New Cuban migrant bottleneck hits Panama during U.S. détente
PASO CANOAS, PANAMA (Reuters) – A new bottleneck of Cuban migrants bound for the United States has formed this month in Panama, threatening a fresh diplomatic headache in Central America after thousands were flown out of the region earlier this year.
Slovak president appoints Robert Fico for another term as PM
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) – Slovak president Andrej Kiska appointed Robert Fico as prime minister on Wednesday after Fico’s leftist Smer party won the largest share of the vote in a March 5 election and formed a four-party coalition.
Honduras arrests U.S. woman for alleged leadership role in gang
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – A 21-year-old American woman was detained in Honduras, authorities said on Wednesday, for allegedly heading a faction of the Mara Barrio 18, one of the gangs responsible for a crime wave in the Central American nation that has s…
Amnesty says 30 Afghans forcibly returned from Turkey
ANKARA (Reuters) – Amnesty International accused Turkey on Wednesday of forcibly returning some thirty Afghan asylum-seekers to Afghanistan despite them fearing Taliban attacks, soon after a migration agreement was reached with the European Union.
Suriname leader’s son’s ‘right-hand man’ guilty in U.S. drug case
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Surinamese man who U.S. authorities said acted as the “right-hand man” to the son of the country’s president during a scheme to send large amounts of cocaine to the United States was found guilty of trying to ship the drug, prose…
Syrian army expects to retake Palmyra ‘within hours’: TV
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian soldiers and their allies advanced to within 1 km (half a mile) of Palmyra on Thursday and soldiers speaking from the outskirts of the historic city said they hoped to recapture it from Islamic State fighters within hours.
Turkish tourism and economy struggle due to bombings, Russia chill
ANKARA (Reuters) – Suicide bombings in Istanbul, a row with the Kremlin and hard times for the Russian middle class – all these factors spell trouble for Turkey’s tourist industry and its wider economy.
In India’s Kolkata, poor sleep where they work to send more money home
KOLKATA (Reuters) – In India’s Kolkata, street workers from second-hand clothes sellers to rickshaw drivers say they rest and sleep where they work, too poor to afford a home of their own.
More aid agencies pull out of Greek camps, spurning EU deal
LESBOS, Greece (Reuters) – More aid agencies helping refugees and migrants arriving in Greece said they were joining a boycott of detention centers on Wednesday, angered at an EU deal they say runs roughshod over human rights.
