‘Security’ swimming pool lands South Africa’s Zuma in hot water
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s top official anti-graft watchdog is recommending President Jacob Zuma repay some of a $21 million publicly funded “security upgrade” to his private home, which included a swimming pool and marquee area, a newspap…
Huge Bangladesh fire destroys key garments factory
DHAKA (Reuters) – A huge fire on Friday destroyed a Bangladesh garment factory supplying key Western brands, authorities said, in a blaze touched off by workers angered over rumors of a colleague’s death in police firing.
India accelerates Iranian port project after U.S.-Iran thaw
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – – India is sending a team to Iran to speed up work on a port that will provide access to resource-rich Central Asia and Afghanistan, officials said, moving quickly to take advantage of a thaw in Iran’s relations with the West.
Analysis: Déjà vu with a difference as Thai PM faces down protesters
BANGKOK (Reuters) – The French have the best phrase for Thailand’s turbulent politics: déjà vu.
Chinese paper says Islamists seek to ban TV, singing
BEIJING (Reuters) – Islamists in China’s far western region of Xinjiang are seeking to ban television, singing and other forms of entertainment, a newspaper said on Friday, adding that “religious extremism” was a disaster facing the area.
NATO-led force in Afghanistan to probe airstrike said to have killed child
KABUL (Reuters) – The NATO-led force in Afghanistan said it would investigate Thursday’s airstrike in Helmand that local officials say killed a child and has further aggravated a stand-off between the Afghan president and the U.S. government.
Nicaraguan committee passes change to remove presidential term limits
MANAGUA (Reuters) – A Nicaraguan parliamentary committee on Thursday approved a constitutional change to remove presidential term limits, which could allow incumbent Daniel Ortega stay in power for years and has raised concerns about democracy in the c…
U.S. military: ‘improvised launch device’ found near Air Force base in Japan
TOKYO (Reuters) – An “improvised launch device” was found outside the United States’ Yokota Air Force base in Tokyo on Thursday night but there were no injuries and no damage, a U.S. military spokesman in Japan said.
Afghanistan’s Karzai stands alone in high-stakes game with U.S.
KABUL (Reuters) – President Hamid Karzai’s stubborn refusal to sign a pact that would keep thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014 is a high-risk gamble that Washington will give in to his demands, one that has left him isolated as the clock…
More than 40 killed in depot blast in Libya, more clashes in east
TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – More than 40 people were killed on Thursday in an explosion at an army depot in southern Libya after locals tried to steal ammunition, officials said, while four soldiers died in clashes in the restive eastern part o…
