Tokyo governor resigns; PM assures no Olympic impact
TOKYO (Reuters) – The governor of the Japanese capital resigned on Thursday after being caught up in a financial scandal just three months after he helped his city win a bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
U.S. prosecutor defends treatment of Indian diplomat
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. attorney in Manhattan defended on Wednesday the treatment of an Indian diplomat who was strip-searched after her arrest last week on charges of underpaying her nanny, a case that has strained U.S.-Indian relations.
Rodman says he’s going to North Korea for fun, not to talk politics
BEIJING (Reuters) – Retired U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman said on Thursday he was not going to North Korea to talk about politics or human rights, despite political tension surrounding the execution of leader Kim Jong Un’s uncle.
Venezuela’s Maduro holds rare dialogue with opponents
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro held a rare meeting with opponents on Wednesday, challenging them to collect signatures to oust him in 2016 if they wanted but to work with him in the meantime.
Testing time for Chinese media as party tightens control
BEIJING (Reuters) – Early next year, Chinese journalists will have to pass a new ideology exam to keep their press cards, in what reporters say is another example of the ruling Communist Party’s increasing control over the media under President Xi Jinp…
Bolivia says U.S. orchestrated getaway of detained New Yorker
LA PAZ (Reuters) – Bolivia on Wednesday accused the United States of helping a New York businessman escape from the South American country where he had spent 18 months in prison and was under house arrest for alleged money laundering.
U.S.’s Kerry expresses regret to India over diplomat case
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called a top Indian official to express regret about the case of an Indian diplomat strip-searched after her arrest in New York last week on charges including visa fraud, the State Department sa…
U.N. General Assembly condemns Syria, Iran, North Korea for rights abuses
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday condemned Syria for widespread human rights abuses and expressed concern about such violations in Iran and North Korea, but it welcomed pledges by Iran’s president to improve i…
South Sudan army says loses town as fighting spreads
JUBA (Reuters) – South Sudan’s army said it had lost control of the flashpoint town of Bor on Wednesday, its first acknowledged reversal in three days of clashes between rival groups of soldiers that have triggered warnings of a slide into civil war.
U.N. heads, EU call for humanitarian ceasefire in Syria
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The heads of the U.N. and European Union aid agencies called on Wednesday for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in Syria to allow convoys to deliver help to areas that aid workers cannot reach.
