Venezuela indicts businessman implicated in Panama Papers
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan prosecutors have indicted local businessman Josmel Velasquez on charges of money laundering and criminal association as part of an investigation that followed local media reports on the leaked Panama Papers.
Syrian peace talks in quagmire as rebels prepare for more war
GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s fragile peace talks might not resume for at least a year if they are abandoned now, a senior Western diplomat warned on Wednesday, as the opposition urged more military support for rebels after declaring a truce was ov…
One year later, rebuilding lags in quake-hit Nepal: aid groups
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A year after a deadly earthquake flattened cities and villages in Nepal, rebuilding efforts must be speeded up to lift millions of survivors out of misery, aid groups said on Wednesday.
China steps up pressure on Taiwan ahead of president’s inauguration
BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) – China is stepping up pressure on self-ruled Taiwan a month ahead of the inauguration of a president from a pro-independence party Beijing distrusts, signaling a rocky start for the leader of the island elected on a wave of an…
Venezuela opposition-backed Congress approves new referendum rules
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s opposition-dominated parliament on Wednesday approved a law to speed up the process of requesting recall referendums, as adversaries of President Nicolas Maduro seek to push him from office amid a deepening economic cris…
Obama, Saudi king discuss strained alliance, Middle East conflicts
RIYADH (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Wednesday to seek joint action on security threats including Iran and Islamic State – and to talk through tensions between the two allies that have been laid bare in recen…
U.N. members fear U.S. ‘sabotage’ of Obama’s climate commitments
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – There are concerns at the United Nations about apparent attempts inside the United States to “sabotage” President Barack Obama’s commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the head of the U.N. General Assembly said on …
Japan Inc sees damaged security, less U.S. trade in Trump presidency: Reuters poll
TOKYO (Reuters) – Most Japanese firms think a Donald Trump presidency would harm the Japan-U.S. security alliance and make the United States a less attractive place to invest, a Reuters poll showed, in a further sign of international angst about his ca…
Under-pressure Maldives government to let jailed opposition leaders attend crisis talks
(Reuters) – The Maldives government said on Wednesday it would allow jailed leaders of rival parties to take part in talks on resolving the country’s political crisis.
Russian editor who reported on Putin’s circle to take study leave
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The editor-in-chief of Russia’s RBC media group, whose outlets published disclosures about the commercial interests of people close to President Vladimir Putin, is to leave her job to start a sabbatical four months earlier than plann…
