Hurricane Patricia strengthens to Category 5 as it nears Mexico
PUERTO VALLARTA (Reuters) – Hurricane Patricia strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” Category 5 storm late on Thursday as it churned toward Mexico’s Pacific coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Papua New Guinea to begin resettling asylum seekers from Australian camp
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia welcomed on Friday a pledge by Papua New Guinea to begin resettling refugees from an Australian immigration detention center, despite questions about how their safety would be guaranteed in one of the region’s most dangerou…
China says naval ties with United States ‘best in history’
BEIJING (Reuters) – Relations between the Chinese and U.S. navies are their “best in history” and exchanges between the two will become more systematic in the future, China’s military on Friday cited the country’s naval chief as telling visiting U.S. o…
Latest U.S. border tunnel linked to drug lord ‘El Chapo’ Guzman
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – Authorities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border have shut the 10th drug-smuggling tunnel to San Diego in more than a decade, a passageway Mexican authorities on Thursday attributed to the cartel of fugitive kingpin Joaquin “El…
Army surrounds home of Congo Republic opposition leader
DAKAR (Reuters) – A Congo Republic opposition leader said late on Thursday that forces from leader Denis Sassou Nguesso’s presidential guard were surrounding his house, detaining him and three allies opposed to a vote on extending term limits.
Obama urges Pakistan to avoid raising nuclear tensions with new weapons
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – At a time of heightened tensions between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, U.S. President Barack Obama urged Pakistan on Thursday to avoid developments in its nuclear weapons program that could increase risks and instabili…
Pope continues reform of Vatican bureaucracy with new department
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Thursday announced a new Vatican department on life and family issues, in his latest effort to streamline the central administration of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church.
Afghan special forces in firing line as fighting spreads
PATKIA PROVINCE, Afghanistan/KABUL (Reuters) – As Afghan soldiers and police struggle to contain an escalating insurgency that has targeted several cities in recent weeks, the country’s special forces are being tested as never before.
After Netanyahu talks, Kerry says Israeli-Palestinian strife may ease
BERLIN (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday voiced cautious hope there may be a way to defuse Israeli-Palestinian violence that has killed nearly 60 people this month.
Manipulating accounts not enough to impeach Brazil president, speaker says
BRASILIA (Reuters) – The speaker of the lower house of Brazil’s Congress said on Thursday that manipulating government accounts, the main opposition case for ousting President Dilma Rousseff, was not sufficient grounds to impeach her.
