Venezuela stages military exercise to counter U.S. ‘threat’
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela on Saturday staged a military exercise to counter an alleged U.S. threat, deploying soldiers and partisans across the country to march, man shoulder-fired missiles and defend an oil refinery from a simulated attack.
South African minister killed in car crash
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African cabinet minister Collins Chabane was killed in a car crash on Sunday, President Jacob Zuma said.
China says Japan ties face test, opportunity this year
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s relations with Japan face a “test” this year linked to whether Japan can properly atone for its wartime past, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday.
China threatens ‘decisive’ response after Myanmar bombing
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s military will take “decisive” measures if there is a repeat attack by Myanmar forces on its territory, a senior military officer said after a bomb from a Myanmar aircraft killed four people.
Five die in small plane crash in northern Mexico: media reports
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Five people were killed when their small plane crashed in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua on Saturday, according to l media reports.
Up to 51 dead after bus crash in southern Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – As many as 51 people died on Saturday when a passenger bus drove off a cliff in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, police said.
Kurds battle Islamic State in Syria, U.S.-led coalition jets strike
BEIRUT (Reuters) – U.S.-led coalition jets struck Islamic State positions in northeast Syria for the second day in a row, in an area where the militants are battling Kurdish forces, a Kurdish official and a group monitoring the war said on Saturday.
Kerry says it is possible to reach an interim deal with Iran
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday he hoped “in the next days” it would be possible to reach an interim deal with Iran if Tehran can show that its nuclear power program is for peaceful purposes only.
U.S. ambassador attack renews focus on contentious South Korean security law
SEOUL (Reuters) – Efforts by South Korean police to charge a nationalist over a knife attack on the U.S. ambassador have renewed debate about the use of a state security act as a political weapon and an attempt to gloss over security shortcomings.
Iraqi Kurds say Islamic State used chlorine gas against them
ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraqi Kurdish authorities said on Saturday they had evidence that Islamic State had used chlorine gas as a chemical weapon against their peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq in January.
