U.S. defends program to fund anti-government hip-hop music in Cuba
MIAMI (Reuters) – The U.S. government financed a four-year effort to promote Cuba’s rap music scene as part of an effort to promote democracy on the communist-run island, federal officials confirmed on Thursday.
In 2003, U.S. experts doubted key Iraq war claim: cable
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A CIA cable disclosed on Thursday showed that U.S. counter terrorism officials in 2003 discounted reports that a leader of the Sept. 11 attacks met an Iraqi intelligence official in Prague just before the attacks, further undermi…
IAEA to get more money for Iran nuclear deal monitoring
VIENNA (Reuters) – Several states pledged on Thursday to back a U.N. nuclear agency request for 4.6 million euros ($5.7 million) as soon as possible to pay for its monitoring of an extended, interim nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
UK deputy PM says open to inquiry over spies’ role in torture
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said on Thursday he would support an inquiry into whether British spies were complicit in CIA torture of terrorism suspects, if other investigations failed to uncover the truth.
Blasts kill at least 40 in Nigerian city of Jos
JOS, Nigeria (Reuters) – Two bombs exploded near a bus station in the central Nigerian city of Jos on Thursday evening, witnesses said, the second one killing at least 40 people.
Kenya defends international court cooperation on president’s case
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Kenya defended its involvement with the International Criminal Court on Thursday as prosecutors seek to have the country held accountable by the court’s member states for failing to cooperate on an investigation of President …
Wife of ex-Ivory Coast leader Gbagbo must face Hague trial: ICC
AMSTERDAM/ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Judges at the International Criminal Court on Thursday said Ivory Coast must hand over Simone Gbagbo, the wife of former president Laurent Gbagbo, to stand trial in The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity.
Kerry tells all nations to work on climate to avoid ‘tragedy’
LIMA (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an impassioned plea on Wednesday for all nations to work for an ambitious U.N. deal next year to fight climate change, saying time was running out to reverse a course “leading to tragedy”.
Poland says Russian maneuvers in Baltic unprecedented
WARSAW (Reuters) – Russia’s military is engaging in an unprecedented amount of activity around the Baltic Sea, Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on Thursday.
Japan PM Abe’s base aims to restore past religious, patriotic values
TOKYO (Reuters) – As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promises voters a bright future for Japan’s economy, key parts of his conservative base want him to steer the nation back toward a traditional ethos mixing Shinto myth, patriotism and pride in an ancient i…
