North Korea says surveillance leaks prove U.S. is “kingpin” of rights abuse
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea rushed to the defense of American civil liberties on Tuesday, saying revelations of mass surveillance operations showed the United States was the “kingpin” of rights abuse.
U.S. right to arm Syrian rebels, says Israeli president
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli President Shimon Peres has thrown his weight behind U.S. plans to arm Syrian rebels, shrugging off fears the weapons could be turned on Israel and exacerbate the conflict.
Obama sees Iran’s election of moderate as hopeful sign
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Monday that Iran’s election of a moderate as its next president is a sign that Iranians want to move in a different direction, but he was uncertain whether it would lead to a breakthrough over Tehra…
U.S. says it will buy Russian helicopters for Afghan military
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon said on Monday it will spend $572 million to buy 30 Russian-built military helicopters that will be used by Afghan security forces.
Putin faces isolation over Syria as G8 ratchets up pressure
ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin faced further isolation on the second day of a G8 summit on Tuesday as world leaders lined up to pressure him into toning down his support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Peru protesters push to stop $5 billion Newmont mine
PEROL LAKE, Peru (Reuters) – Thousands of opponents of a $5 billion gold project of Newmont Mining circled a lake high in the Andes on Monday, vowing to stop the company from eventually draining it to make way for Peru’s most expensive mine.
Protests build in Brazil as discontent spreads
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil’s biggest cities on Monday in a growing protest that is tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption.
Italy’s 5-Star seeks expulsion of rebel who criticized founder
ROME (Reuters) – Lawmakers from Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement agreed on Monday to hold an online vote on the expulsion of a senator who publicly attacked its founder, Beppe Grillo, raising the risk of a split in the group.
Power crisis fears unnerve industry in booming Philippines
MANILA (Reuters) – An electricity outage that blacked out large swathes of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon for up to eight hours last month has highlighted worries about a potential power crisis that could undermine Asia’s fastest-growing economy…
Egypt investment minister aims for 7 percent growth in two years
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian Investment Minister Yehya Hamed said on Monday he aimed to boost Egypt’s anemic economic growth to as high as 7 percent in two years by improving the environment for private investors.