Canadian couple accused of spying in China held in near isolation, son says
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Canadian couple accused of spying near China’s sensitive border with North Korea have been kept separately in near isolation for more than 80 days and denied access to legal counsel, their son said on Friday.
Exclusive: Chad says Nigeria deal with Boko Haram to free girls still on
N’DJAMENA (Reuters) – Chad said it believed Nigeria’s secret deal with Boko Haram Islamists to free more than 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls would go ahead despite the breakdown of a truce, and revealed that the key to the agreement was a prisoner …
Uruguay’s left in battle to retain presidency, and marijuana law
MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) – Uruguayan voters decide on Sunday whether to give the ruling coalition another term after a decade of strong growth and leftist reforms, or turn to an opposition candidate who says legalizing marijuana production was a step too f…
Algeria’s Bouteflika consolidates curbs on state intelligence agency
ALGIERS (Reuters) – President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has signed a decree to curb the presence of Algeria’s military intelligence service in public institutions, government sources said, to downgrade his rivals and ensure a smooth transition when he steps…
Botswana votes in poll set to test ruling party dynasty
GABORONE (Reuters) – Botswanans went to the polls on Friday in an election that is expected to see President Ian Khama’s ruling party win a reduced majority as young and middle-class voters send out a warning to a political dynasty which has ruled for …
Japan could deploy minesweepers off S. Korea in war with North, U.S. admiral says
TOKYO (Reuters) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision to let Japan’s military fight overseas could open the way for the country to deploy minesweepers in South Korean waters in the event of a war with North Korea, a senior U.S. admiral said on Friday….
Poland lodges appeal with European court over CIA jail ruling
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland has lodged an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights against a ruling made by the court in July that Poland hosted a secret CIA prison on its soil, the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement.
France says air strikes take out weapons arsenal in Iraq
PARIS (Reuters) – French fighter jets destroyed 12 buildings in Iraq holding an arsenal of weapons under control of Islamic State militants, France’s chief of staff of armed forces said on Friday.
Merkel, Putin express hope for gas talks success on October 29: Kremlin
MOSCOW (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of reaching an agreement on gas supplies to Ukraine in a telephone call, the Kremlin said on Friday.
Three Kurdish militants killed in attack on Turkish power plant
DIYARBAKIR Turkey (Reuters) – Turkish soldiers killed three Kurdish militants who were part of a group that attacked a power plant in the eastern province of Kars, Turkish sources said on Friday.
