On U.S. end of Iran prisoner deal, doubts and delays in final hours
HOUSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When FBI agents arrested Bahram Mechanic in April last year, prosecutors described the Houston-based Iranian-American entrepreneur as an illegal purchasing agent for Iran’s military and a threat to national security.
Haiti in talks to delay Sunday presidential runoff after protests
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Haiti could postpone a presidential runoff election if the opposition commits to taking part at a later date, Prime Minister Evans Paul said on Wednesday, adding the Jan. 24 vote will go ahead if there is no deal to end a pol…
Tokyo goes for broke in Okinawa poll at U.S. airbase city
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s government is pulling out all the stops to ensure a candidate backed by the ruling party wins an mayoral election in the Okinawan city hosting a U.S. airbase whose planned move elsewhere on the island has set Tokyo and Okinawa…
Chinese flood Taiwan president-elect’s Facebook, demanding return to China
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Thousands of posts, apparently from China, have flooded the Facebook page of Taiwan president-elect Tsai Ing-wen, demanding her self-ruled island be brought under Chinese control, though her party brushed it off and said they respect…
U.N. council votes to reduce Ivory Coast peacekeepers
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council decided on Wednesday to reduce the number of U.N. peacekeepers in Ivory Coast, citing considerable progress in stabilizing the West African country where a civil war erupted five years ago.
Mexico, Central American countries OK plan for stranded Cubans
SAN JOSE (Reuters) – Mexico and Central American countries approved a plan on Wednesday for more flights that would allow thousands of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica to continue on to the United States.
China busts child trafficking ring, recovers 15 infants: Xinhua
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Police in China have broken a child trafficking ring that they say had been selling children from the remote southwest to buyers near the coast 2,000 km (1,245 miles) away for as little as about $3,000, the state news agency Xinhua…
Vatican says British exit from EU would weaken Europe: media report
(Reuters) – The Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, voiced hope that Britain would stay in the European Union, suggesting its exit would weaken Europe, Britain’s Telegraph reported, citing his interview with ITV that aired on Wednesd…
Russian bombs take toll in Syria as Islamic State under pressure
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Four months of Russian air strikes in Syria are taking their toll on rebel forces, strengthening the hand of a defiant President Bashar al-Assad as the United Nations struggles to get peace talks off the ground.
Britain drafting U.N. resolution to set up Colombia mission: envoys
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Britain has circulated to key members of the United Nations Security Council a draft resolution to launch planning for a U.N. mission to oversee disarmament should Colombia’s government and leftist rebels reach a final peace …
