Defendant in Rwanda genocide trial in France says was ‘mere agent’
PARIS (Reuters) – Rwanda’s former intelligence director denied charges of crimes against humanity and complicity in the 1994 genocide and told a Paris court on Wednesday he did not participate in “the descent into chaos” in his homeland.
Indian regional parties take steps towards election alliance
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – A clutch of Indian regional parties met on Wednesday to discuss plans to stymie the government’s goals for parliament’s final session, fueling expectations that they will forge an alliance before national elections due by May.
Eight South African miners freed, nine still missing
DOORNKOP, South Africa (Reuters) – South African emergency workers rescued eight miners trapped a mile underground by a fire and rockfall in Harmony Gold’s Doornkop mine, but nine others were unaccounted for.
Soldiers lynch man at army ceremony in Central African Republic
BANGUI (Reuters) – A group of soldiers in Central African Republic’s capital lynched a man they suspected of having been a rebel, minutes after hearing the new president promise to restore security at a ceremony to reinstate the divided country’s armed…
Cuban doctor defects in Brazil over pay, plans to seek asylum
BRASILIA (Reuters) – A Cuban doctor working in Brazil has sought political asylum in the office of a conservative party complaining that Cuba’s communist government takes too big a slice of her pay, a party official said on Wednesday.
Israel pushes on with plans for hundreds of settlement homes
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s Jerusalem municipality approved building plans on Wednesday for 558 new homes in the occupied West Bank, land that the Palestinians want for a future state.
U.S. says Sri Lanka refuses visa for official after war crime accusations
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka has refused a visa request for a U.S. State Department official, the U.S. Embassy said on Tuesday, after Washington signaled it would propose a U.N. resolution against the South Asian state over alleged war crimes.
Cyprus says could be close to peace talks breakthrough
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus said on Wednesday it was close to reviving stalled peace talks between the island’s Greek and Turkish communities who have been locked in a festering, decades-old conflict that is harming Turkey’s hopes of joining the EU.
Factbox: Front-runners in Afghanistan’s presidential election
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s main presidential candidates have held a television debate two months before polls that Western allies hope will consolidate stability as their forces prepare to leave after nearly 13 years of war.
Turkish potato price surge adds political, economic pressure before polls
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The humble potato has become a factor in Turkey’s political and economic turmoil as prices of the staple soar, hurting the living standards of poorer Turks just before the ruling AK Party’s toughest election test in a decade.
