Freed Vietnamese anti-government activist arrives in United States
(Reuters) – A dissident jailed for criticizing Vietnam’s leadership has been freed and is now in Washington, family friends and a U.S. official said on Tuesday, a rare concession by a country long criticized for its human rights record.
Eni top spot in play as Italy prepares to shake up state firms
MILAN (Reuters) – The government of Matteo Renzi is looking to wipe the slate clean and seek new names at Italy’s main state-controlled groups including oil major Eni as top management comes up for renewal, government, political and industry sources sa…
G20 final document unlikely to address Ukraine crisis
MOSCOW/ BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The world’s financial leaders are likely to discuss possible risks to Europe’s economy from the crisis in Ukraine, but there are no plans to mention it in the final document from their Washington meeting, two G20 officials …
Decades after genocide, Congo struggles to dislodge Rwanda rebels
TONGO, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Twenty years after the genocide in Rwanda, a rebel group founded by ethnic extremists who took part in that slaughter still prowls the lush hills of neighboring eastern Congo, defying a renewed threat by …
Gloves off as India’s BJP woos the Hindu vote in northern heartland
MUZAFFARNAGAR, India (Reuters) – India’s main opposition party, tipped to form the next government, appears to be returning to its Hindu nationalist roots at the start of a five-week general election, raking up divisive issues and using strong language…
Japan, fresh from Australia pact, says U.S. trade talks ‘difficult’
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan, fresh from clinching a basic trade deal with Australia after years of negotiations, said it hoped for a similar result with the United States and for a regional pact, but cautioned that talks were “difficult.”
U.N. rights expert urges debt relief for Philippines
MANILA (Reuters) – A United Nations human rights expert on Tuesday urged international creditors to cancel the Philippines’ debt and give it unconditional grant aid instead of new loans to fund massive post-typhoon reconstruction.
Smooth Afghan election raises questions about Taliban’s strength
KABUL (Reuters) – A bigger-than-expected turnout in Afghanistan’s presidential election and the Taliban’s failure to significantly disrupt the vote have raised questions about the capacity of the insurgents to tip the country back into chaos as foreign…
Rwandans told ‘never again’, 20 years after genocide
KIGALI (Reuters) – The United Nations chief told a packed stadium of somber and weeping Rwandans on Monday the world would “never again” let genocide tear their nation apart, at a ceremony marking 20 years since 800,000 people were butchered.
Search for missing Malaysia plane set to move to sea floor
SYDNEY/PERTH, Australia (Reuters) – A robotic search vehicle is likely to be sent deep into the Indian Ocean on Tuesday to look for wreckage of a missing Malaysian jetliner on the sea floor, as officials say the chance of finding anything on the surfac…