Panama to send detained North Korean crew, ship home: minister
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – The North Korean crew and ship detained in Panama for smuggling Cuban weapons three months ago will soon be returned to the reclusive Asian nation, Panama’s foreign minister said Thursday.
Venezuela investigates sports stars in big currency scam
CARACAS (Reuters) – Prosecutors in Venezuela are investigating members of its national motorsports teams for possible currency violations, officials said on Thursday, and the sports minister said tens of millions of dollars were claimed by people forgi…
Japanese cabinet minister Shindo visits shrine to war dead
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese internal affairs minister Yoshitaka Shindo visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine for war dead on Friday, a move likely to anger Asian victims of Japan’s past aggression.
Mexico Lower House OKs revised government tax plan
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s Lower House of Congress on Thursday gave general approval to a revised government tax plan that aims to boost receipts by nearly 3 percent of GDP by 2018.
Australian wildfires kill one, destroy 100 homes near Sydney
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Wildfires claimed one life and destroyed at least 100 homes near Sydney, Australia’s biggest city, after forcing thousands to evacuate their homes, and authorities warned on Friday more homes could be lost as fires burned out of cont…
Snowden says he took no secret files to Russia: New York Times
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden said he did not bring any of the documents he took from the agency with him to Russia, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
Ethiopian police torture political detainees: Human Rights Watch
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopian police investigators in Addis Ababa’s main detention center have tortured political detainees and regularly mistreat people in custody to extract confessions, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Friday.
Angolan troops enter Congo Republic, seize soldiers: officer
BRAZZAVILLE (Reuters) – A detachment of Angolan troops crossed into neighboring Congo Republic earlier this week and has detained a group of Congolese soldiers, a senior Congolese officer said on Thursday.
Guinea opposition secures key seat in tense parliament vote
CONAKRY (Reuters) – Guinea’s election authorities on Thursday declared an opposition politician winner of the country’s most hotly contested parliamentary seat, a result that should ease tensions and is likely to deny the ruling party of an outright ma…
Russia, U.S. deny date set for Syria peace conference
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A senior Syrian official said on Thursday that a long-delayed international conference aimed at ending his country’s civil war was scheduled for November 23-24, but co-organizers Russia and the United States said no date had been set…