Japan suspends work on U.S. base on Okinawa as Abe battles low ratings
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan said on Tuesday it was suspending construction of a contentious U.S. air base on the island of Okinawa for a month to give time for talks between the central government and island authorities opposed to the facility.
Myanmar appeals for international assistance for flood relief
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar said on Tuesday it had appealed for international assistance to help provide food, temporary shelter and clothing for more than 210,000 people affected by widespread flooding following weeks of heavy monsoon rains.
China’s foreign minister to visit Ebola-affected countries
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi leaves this week on a visit to three of the African nations hardest hit by an outbreak of the Ebola virus, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Accused Taliban leader said he was doing ‘God’s work’: testimony
RICHMOND, Va. (Reuters) – A former American soldier testifying in the trial of Irek Hamidullin on Monday said the accused Russian Taliban leader was compliant when captured, and said he was doing “God’s work.”
Blast in Korean DMZ wounds two South Korean soldiers: military
SEOUL (Reuters) – Two South Korean soldiers were wounded by an explosion on Tuesday, possibly caused by a landmine, in the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that divides North and South Korea, military officials said.
Special Report: State Department watered down human trafficking report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In the weeks leading up to a critical annual U.S. report on human trafficking that publicly shames the world’s worst offenders, human rights experts at the State Department concluded that trafficking conditions hadn’t improved in Malaysia and Cuba. And in China, they found, things had grown worse.
Obama administration faces criticism over human trafficking report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Several U.S. politicians sharply criticized the Obama administration on Monday over an annual global report on human trafficking in response to a Reuters article chronicling how senior U.S. diplomats had watered down rankings of …
Brazil police arrest Lula minister in bribery scandal
CURITIBA, Brazil (Reuters) – Brazilian police on Monday arrested former government minister Jose Dirceu, one of the most senior members of the ruling Workers’ Party to be detained so far in a corruption scandal engulfing state-run oil company Petrobras…
Sudan says Bashir plans to speak at U.N. summit in New York
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes and genocide charges, is planning to travel to New York in September to speak at the United Nations, Sudan’s de…
Special Report: State Department watered down human trafficking report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In the weeks leading up to a critical annual U.S. report on human trafficking that publicly shames the world’s worst offenders, human rights experts at the State Department concluded that trafficking conditions hadn’t improved in Malaysia and Cuba. And in China, they found, things had grown worse.
