U.S. cancels funds for Afghan opinion polls ahead of election
KABUL (Reuters) – The United States has canceled funding for opinion polls in the run-up to Afghanistan’s presidential election after an initial poll in December triggered accusations of U.S. attempts to manipulate the outcome, officials said.
UK’s Sellafield plant detects elevated levels of radioactivity
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s biggest nuclear reprocessing plant said on Friday it had detected raised levels of radioactivity and ordered all non-essential staff to stay at home.
Exclusive: Bloomberg tapped to be U.N. cities, climate change envoy: sources
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been tapped to be U.N. special envoy for cities and climate change, sources familiar with the situation said on Thursday.
FAA downgrades India’s aviation safety ranking: report
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has downgraded India’s aviation safety ranking, which means Indian carriers cannot increase flights to the United States and face additional checks for existing flights, the Mint news…
Insight: Surge in cocaine trade undermines Conde’s bid to revive Guinea
CONAKRY (Reuters) – A surge in cocaine trafficking has transformed Guinea into West Africa’s latest drug hot spot, jeopardizing President Alpha Conde’s efforts to rebuild state institutions after a military coup and attract billion of dollars in mining…
Indonesia’s trade minister resigns to focus on presidential campaign
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan said on Friday he had resigned, effective immediately, to focus on his campaign to win the presidential nomination for the ruling Democratic Party.
Kerry to hold talks with Ukraine’s opposition in Germany
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet key Ukrainian opposition figures on Friday on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday, his first meeting with some of the leaders of a…
Rwanda calls Congo ‘crybaby’ at U.N., Congo says Rwanda ‘arrogant’
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council stressed on Thursday that M23 rebels must be stopped from regrouping in Democratic Republic of Congo and expressed concern at Congolese soldiers aiding Rwandan Hutu militia, sparking a verbal clash b…
Knox and Sollecito convicted again of Briton’s 2007 murder
FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) – American student Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty on Thursday for the second time of the 2007 murder of Briton Meredith Kercher, in a retrial that reversed an earlier appeal j…
Ukraine’s Yanukovich goes on sick leave in midst of political crisis
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich went on sick leave on Thursday after a bruising session of parliament, leaving a political vacuum in a country threatened with bankruptcy and destabilized by anti-government protests.
