Worker killed in electrical accident at Brazil World Cup stadium
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – A worker at a World Cup stadium in the Brazilian city of Cuiaba was killed in an electrical accident on Thursday, temporarily halting construction of the stadium and adding to woes in the rushed preparations for the tournament.
Dubai charges six Iranians with businessman’s kidnap
DUBAI (Reuters) – Dubai prosecutors have charged six Iranians with kidnapping a British-Iranian businessman who went missing in the emirate last year, the government said on Thursday.
Bus strike strands thousands in World Cup host city Rio
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Thousands of passengers across Rio de Janeiro endured long lines and tense commutes on Thursday as a bus strike and related vandalism disrupted the workday in Brazil’s second-biggest city.
Somali MPs demand president quit, threaten impeachment
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – More than 100 Somali lawmakers have signed a letter demanding the president resign for failing to improve security and meet other promises, threatening to impeach him if he does not quit.
Assad’s forces take Homs, ‘capital of Syrian revolt’
HOMS, Syria (Reuters) – Syrian forces took full control on Thursday over Homs, a city once associated with scenes of joyous pro-democracy crowds but now famed for images of ruin that epitomize the brutality of Syria’s civil war.
Rights groups urge Palestinians to join International Criminal Court
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Palestinian and international rights groups urged President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), building on U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood two years ago.
UK deploys destroyer to track large Russian naval task force
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain has deployed a destroyer to track an unusually large Russian naval task force transiting the English Channel, it said on Thursday and also noted a “resurgence” in Russian air activity close to its airspace.
Chilean students march to pressure Bachelet on promised reforms
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Thousands of students marched through the Chilean capital for the first time since President Michelle Bachelet took power, ratcheting up the pressure on her to fulfill her campaign pledges to overhaul education in the country.
Snowden leaks prompt ‘insidious’ claims about spies: UK lawmaker
LONDON (Reuters) – Supporters of former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden use “insidious” language that blurs lines between spying in democratic and authoritarian states, a senior British lawmaker said on Thursday.
Lebanon church head’s planned Jerusalem visit stirs controversy
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A planned visit by the head of the Maronite church to Jerusalem has stirred an outcry in Lebanon, which is still technically at war with its southern neighbor Israel.