Venezuela arrests hundreds of youths in crackdown on protests
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan security forces on Thursday rounded up hundreds of youth activists camped in public spaces as part of protests against President Nicolas Maduro, an effort to snuff out the waning demonstration movement.
South Africa’s ANC rolls to victory, boosting Zuma reform clout
PRETORIA (Reuters) – The ruling African National Congress (ANC) swept toward victory in South Africa’s fifth post-apartheid election on Thursday, handing President Jacob Zuma the clout to push through pro-business reforms in the face of union and lefti…
India’s Modi accuses election agency of discrimination
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Opposition leader Narendra Modi sharpened his attack on India’s election authorities on Thursday, accusing them of discrimination in barring him from holding rallies to back his candidacy in the River Ganges holy city of Varanasi….
Finland’s finance minister may face ouster over party vote
HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland’s social democrats will vote on Friday whether to oust their leader, Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen, from the party’s helm in a move that would lead to her quitting her ministerial post just as the economy is struggling….
UK says deploys a destroyer to track Russian aircraft carrier
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain said on Thursday it had deployed a destroyer to track a Russian aircraft carrier sailing close to its coastal waters, the latest in a series of such incidents and a reminder of underlying tensions between London and Moscow.
China blames Vietnam for sea collisions, but calls for talks
BEIJING/HANOI (Reuters) – China accused Vietnam on Thursday of intentionally colliding with its ships in the South China Sea, but called for talks to end a bitter row sparked by Beijing’s parking of a giant oil rig in contested waters.
Pro-Russian rebels will hold Ukraine referendum, defy Putin
DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) – Pro-Russian separatists voted unanimously on Thursday in favor of holding a referendum on independence, defying calls by Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone the vote to open the way for talks with the Kiev authorit…
One shot dead in China’s troubled Xinjiang after attack on police
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police on Thursday shot dead an assailant who attacked a police vehicle with knives in China’s far western region of Xinjiang, the latest in a string of violent attacks that have raised concerns of greater instability in the…
Thai graft agency rules against ex-PM as ‘red shirts’ head for Bangkok
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s anti-graft agency indicted former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for negligence on Thursday, a ruling that came a day after a court threw her out of office and could kill off any hopes she has of staging an electoral …
Bulgarian PM’s chief of staff charged in embezzlement case
SOFIA (Reuters) – The Bulgarian prime minister’s chief of staff was charged on Thursday with aiding in the embezzlement of European Union funds, two weeks after two senior magistrates were charged with the scheme.
