Businessman linked to China’s ex-security tsar sentenced to death
BEIJING (Reuters) – A former mining magnate with suspected ties to the family of China’s retired security tsar Zhou Yongkang was sentenced to death on Friday on charges of leading a gang on a crime spree spanning two decades.
Germany’s Merkel calls on Russia to accept OSCE verdict on Ukraine vote
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a newspaper interview published on Friday, called on Russia to accept the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) verdict on Sunday’s presidential election in Ukraine.
Anti-World Cup protest puts Sao Paulo business district on edge
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Several thousand demonstrators marched through an expensive business district of Brazil’s largest city on Thursday to protest against urban developments for the soccer World Cup that they say have left many homeless.
U.N. chief demands urgent action on inadequate Syria aid access
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday demanded that the Security Council take urgent action to ensure that millions of Syrians who have been denied emergency relief due to the country’s bloody civil war get access to much-needed…
U.S. criticizes Cuba over blocking of dissident website
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States criticized Cuban censorship on Thursday after Cubans were blocked from an independent website that is challenging the state monopoly on news on the island.
Airlines exiting Venezuela because of World Cup, Maduro says
CARACAS (Reuters) – Airlines are halting flights to Venezuela not because of the country’s economic problems but to take advantage of the World Cup in neighboring Brazil, the president said on Thursday.
Thai army chief summons ousted PM for talks a day after coup
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s army chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, will begin to govern a polarized country on Friday, a day after he seized power in a bloodless coup in a bid to end six months of turmoil.
Ex-Guatemala leader who admitted bribe gets nearly six years jail
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo was sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison on Thursday after admitting to taking $2.5 million in bribes from Taiwan and laundering funds through U.S. banks.
Far right suffers Dutch surprise as EU vote begins
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union’s marathon parliamentary election kicked off on Thursday when Britain and the Netherlands voted, with right-wing, anti-EU parties expected to attract a surge of protest votes in many countries on a low turnout.
U.N. Security Council committee blacklists Nigeria’s Boko Haram
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council committee on al Qaeda sanctions blacklisted Nigeria’s Islamist militant group Boko Haram on Thursday after the insurgents kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls, diplomats said.
