Evangelical Christians gain political clout in Catholic Brazil
BRASILIA (Reuters) – When televangelist Silas Malafaia gathered 40,000 followers outside Brazil’s Congress this week, it wasn’t just to raise their arms to the sky and praise the Lord.
Israel aims to stay out of Syria conflict despite Golan friction
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel aims to stay out of Syria’s civil war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, despite violence eroding security on the Golan Heights border area.
Suicide bomber kills at least seven at Baghdad checkpoint
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A suicide bomber blew up his explosive-packed car at a police checkpoint outside a Shi’ite district in northwest Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least seven people and wounding 16 more, police officials said.
Kabul demands British forces transfer prisoners within weeks
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Hamid Karzai demanded on Saturday that Britain hand over within two weeks more than 80 prisoners of war being held in a British base in the south, saying the detention was against Afghan law and a breach of sovereignt…
U.S. surveillance row washes up on Pacific allies’ shores
CANBERRA/WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Unease over a clandestine U.S. data collection program has rippled across the Pacific to two of Washington’s major allies, Australia and New Zealand, raising concerns about whether they have cooperated with secret electr…
Government supporters rally in Cambodia as election tension rises
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Thousands of government supporters rallied in Cambodia on Sunday against comments allegedly made by an opposition leader about atrocities during the “Killing Fields” era, as the United States denounced moves to expel opposition l…
Brother-in-law of Chinese Nobel winner jailed for 11 years
HUAIROU, China (Reuters) – A Chinese court on Sunday sentenced the brother-in-law of jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in prison on charges of fraud in a case that rights activists have called another example of official retribut…
Graft trial opens of former China railways minister
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s former railways minister, Liu Zhijun, went on trial on Sunday charged with corruption and abuse of power, state media said, in a case demonstrating President Xi Jinping’s resolve to crack down on pervasive graft.
U.N. says Mali still precarious, future peacekeepers need equipment
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Armed groups in Mali continue to pose a serious security threat to the entire region while African troops forming the core of a U.N. peacekeeping mission deploying next month are not yet properly equipped, the U.N. chief said…
Brazil President Rousseff’s popularity falls for first time: poll
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s approval rating fell for the first time since her term began in January 2011 as concern about inflation and sluggish economic growth grew, the Datafolha polling agency said on Saturday.