Obama pledges to help Africa, pays tribute to Mandela
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama paid tribute to anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela as he flew to South Africa on Friday but played down expectations of a meeting with the ailing black leader during an Africa tour promoting …
Peru peasant squads rally against U.S. firm’s $5 billion gold mine
CAJAMARCA, Peru (Reuters) – Forty years ago, peasants in rural Peru banded together as “ronderos” – Spanish for “people who make the rounds” – to curb cattle rustling.
Small plane crashes in Guatemala, killing all six on board
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – A small airplane crashed in a wooded area in western Guatemala near the border with Mexico on Friday morning, killing all six men on board, rescue workers at the scene said.
Brazil truckers call for 72-hour strike starting Monday
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s trucking union is calling for a 72-hour strike starting on Monday, potentially slowing the movement of record soy, corn and sugar crops to ports, although unlikely to stop exports.
Analysis: Brazil’s mass protests peak, ball in politicians’ court
BRASILIA (Reuters) – The massive protests that paralyzed Brazil last week appear to have peaked after sending the country’s shaken political establishment a loud message that it needs to change its ways.
France places four suspected Islamists under investigation
PARIS (Reuters) – Four suspected radical Islamists arrested in the Paris region this week on suspicion of plotting attacks in France were placed under formal investigation on Friday, legal and police sources said.
Guinea Bissau interim leader sets November 24 election date
BISSAU (Reuters) – Guinea Bissau’s interim leader called elections on Friday that African and Western leaders hope will end decades of instability in a former Portuguese colony that has been become a narcotics trafficking hub to Europe.
Kenya deputy president loses case linked to poll violence
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya’s High Court ordered Deputy President William Ruto on Friday to surrender a 100-acre farm in the lush Rift Valley and pay compensation to a farmer who had accused the politician of grabbing the land during election violence fi…
Iran detains Slovak hang-glider group: Slovak media
PRAGUE (Reuters) – A group of five or six Slovak hang-glider enthusiasts has been detained in Iran on suspicion of espionage, the Slovak news website www.sme.sk said on Friday.
France challenges arbitration award, Tapie investigated
PARIS (Reuters) – A tycoon with ties to ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy was put under formal investigation on suspicion of fraud on Friday in connection with a 403 million-euro ($524 million) arbitration award he received in 2008 to settle a legal dispute…
