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.
Kosovo votes for new war crimes court
PRISTINA (Reuters) – Kosovo’s parliament voted to change the constitution on Monday and create a war crimes court, which the West wants to try ethnic Albanian former guerrillas for alleged war crimes including organ harvesting.
Ethiopia hands lengthy prison terms to Muslim activists
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – An Ethiopian court sentenced 17 Muslim activists on Monday to prison sentences ranging from seven to 22 years on charges they plotted to create an Islamic state in the majority Christian country.
First U.S.-trained Syria rebel believed killed in fighting: sources
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A member of a new Syrian force trained by the U.S. military was believed to have been killed in clashes last week with al Qaeda’s Syria wing, in what would be the fledgling force’s first battlefield casualty, U.S. officials said …
Catalonia leader calls election framed as vote on independence
MADRID (Reuters) – Catalan leaders threw down a challenge to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Monday by pressing ahead with early elections next month portrayed as a proxy for a vote on independence.
Burundian activist shot amid violence tied to contested presidential vote
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – A prominent Burundi human rights activist who openly opposed President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial bid for a third term in office was shot and seriously injured on Monday, a family member and witnesses said.
Italy arrests 11 in search for Sicilian mafia boss of bosses
ROME (Reuters) – Police in Sicily arrested 11 suspected mobsters they believe were helping Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro evade capture and spread his orders to the rest of the criminal organization.
