Approval rating of Chile’s President Bachelet falls to new low
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet saw her approval rating fall for the third straight month in September, though support for her key reforms improved, a poll showed on Thursday.
Blasts kill 15 people at Bulgaria explosives plant
SOFIA/GORNI LOM Bulgaria (Reuters) – A series of powerful blasts at a Bulgarian explosives plant killed 15 employees and injured three others on Wednesday night, just two months after government officials warned of serious safety breaches at the factor…
Venezuelan ‘Chavista’ lawmaker Serra stabbed, killed at home
CARACAS (Reuters) – Robert Serra, a young “Chavista” ruling party lawmaker, died after being stabbed in his home in Caracas late Wednesday in an “intentional homicide,” government officials said, in Venezuela’s latest high-profile violent crime.
Houthis dictate state spending in absence of Yemen government
SANAA (Reuters) – Yemeni rebels in control of the capital ordered the finance ministry on Thursday to suspend all payments except salaries to state employees, in an apparent tightening of their control over government bodies.
Europe urges Georgia to avoid political ‘revenge’ in courts
TBILISI (Reuters) – A group of European lawmakers urged Georgia on Thursday not to pursue “revenge” when prosecuting members of the previous government of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili.
North Korea prepares launch site for longer-range rockets: report
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea, already heavily sanctioned by the United Nations for its missile and nuclear tests, has completed a major overhaul of its rocket launch site, a U.S. think tank said on Thursday, enabling it to fire larger, longer-range ro…
Ivory Coast youth leader denies stoking post-vote violence
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A man accused of leading a youth militia behind a wave of ethnic killings in Ivory Coast denied all charges against him at the International Criminal Court on Thursday, saying he was a “polite person” who campaigned for peace.
Nigeria’s Boko Haram ‘leader’ appears in new video: AFP
ABUJA (Reuters) – A man claiming to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has appeared in a new video, contradicting Nigerian military reports that he was killed, French news agency AFP reported on Thursday.
Libya’s runaway parliament seeks refuge in Tobruk bubble
TOBRUK Libya (Reuters) – Trucks fitted with anti-aircraft cannon, troops and cement roadblocks protect the five-star hotel in Tobruk that is now the surreal last bastion of Libya’s fugitive parliament.
Deficit challenge looms for UK parties before election
LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister David Cameron’s announcement of tax cuts has exhilarated his Conservative Party, but the sobering question of who can be trusted with Britain’s public finances remains the key to next year’s national election.
