Brazil government backers take to streets ahead of Sunday protests
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Pro-government labor unions and social activists staged demonstrations across Brazil on Friday in support of President Dilma Rousseff, two days before mass protests planned against her administration.
Thousands evacuated in Chile as fire threatens port city Valparaiso
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Thousands of people were evacuated from around the Chilean port city of Valparaiso on Friday as a forest fire raged out of control, emergency service agency Onemi said.
Venezuela says opponent of Maduro commits suicide in jail
CARACAS (Reuters) – An opponent of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro committed suicide in jail, where he had been locked up on charges of fomenting street violence against the socialist government, the Interior Minister said on Friday.
U.S. carried out strike in Somalia targeting al Shabaab leader
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. forces targeted a leader of the al Shabaab militant group in an operation in southern Somalia this week, the Pentagon said on Friday, a day after villagers reported a drone strike killed three members of the al Qaeda-affilia…
UK must stop passing buck on ‘national scandal’ of FGM, say MPs
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The British government must stop passing the buck for the failure to bring prosecutions for female genital mutilation (FGM), a parliamentary committee said on Saturday, branding the lack of action to protect girls …
Iraqi forces pause in battle to drive Islamic State from Tikrit
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Frustrated by guerrilla tactics from Islamic State militants, Iraqi forces paused for reinforcements on Friday in a major offensive to take back the city of Tikrit.
U.N. fears ‘the worst’ after typhoon batters Vanuatu
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Widespread casualties are feared after a powerful typhoon battered Vanuatu overnight, triggering flash floods and knocking out telephone lines in the isolated Pacific island nation, aid officials said on Saturday.
Cameroon says treats Boko Haram suspects humanely despite prison deaths
YAOUNDE (Reuters) – Cameroon is treating hundreds of suspected Boko Haram militants in its prisons humanely despite the death of 25 in a prison cell last December, a government minister said on Friday, rejecting a rights group report that accused the a…
Maldives’ ex-president Nasheed sentenced to 13 years in prison
MALE/COLOMBO (Reuters) – Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Friday after being found guilty of terrorism for ordering the arrest of a judge when he was in power in 2012.
Human rights concerns limit U.S. intelligence, military aid to Nigeria
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is limiting its intelligence and military aid to Nigeria during Boko Haram’s deadly insurgency due to concerns over the country’s human rights record, U.S. officials say.
