Analysis: Rajoy sits out corruption storm within Spanish ruling party
MADRID (Reuters) – Dissent is growing within the usually disciplined ranks of Spain’s ruling center-right People’s Party over a corruption scandal, but there are few signs yet of any rebellion strong enough to topple Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
U.S. launches push to boost women’s role in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will launch on Thursday a $200 million program to boost the role of women in Afghan society, a figure that could double with international support, the head of the U.S. government’s main aid agency said.
China media accuses Japan PM of dangerous politics
BEIJING/TOKYO (Reuters) – Two of China’s top newspapers accused Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday of dangerous politics that could threaten regional security, as Tokyo warned Beijing not to expand gas exploration in disputed waters of the …
Steam rising from reactor building in Fukushima
TOKYO (Reuters) – Steam is rising from a destroyed building that houses a reactor at Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co, said on Thursday.
U.N. reviewing Congo army support over M23 abuse allegations
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations is reviewing support to Democratic Republic of Congo army units accused of desecrating the corpses of rebels and mistreating detainees, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday during renewed fi…
Panama calls in U.N. to inspect North Korean arms ship
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – Panama said on Wednesday it had called on the U.N. Security Council to investigate a North Korean ship caught smuggling arms from Cuba, piling more pressure on Pyongyang over a possible breach of U.N. sanctions.
Chilean right-wing presidential candidate drops bid
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chilean conservative presidential candidate Pablo Longueira unexpectedly quit his campaign due to depression, his son said on Wednesday, dealing another blow to an already weakened right-wing bloc four months from the general elect…
Analysis: Ship seizure shows dire straits of Cuban military rather than threat
MIAMI (Reuters) – The seizure in Panama of a North Korean cargo ship carrying aging Cuban military hardware in need of repair is more a sign of hard times in Havana than of any sinister military threat, analysts say.
In Ramadan quiet, Afghans jockey for post-Karzai era
KABUL (Reuters) – For the devout, the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is a time of prayer and introspection, but this year, for Afghanistan’s warlords and powerbrokers, it is time to decide on a successor to President Hamid Karzai.
Greece approves scheme to fire thousands of public workers
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s shaky coalition government scraped through a vote on Wednesday on a bill to sack public sector workers as thousands chanting anti-austerity slogans protested outside parliament.
