U.S. suspends trade benefits for Bangladesh over safety
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday cut off longtime U.S. trade benefits for Bangladesh in a mostly symbolic response to dangerous conditions in that country’s garment industry that have cost more than 1,200 lives in the past year…
Obama starts long-awaited Africa tour at slave port
GOREE ISLAND, Senegal (Reuters) – Almost four centuries after Africans started being shipped to North America as slaves, the first U.S. president of African ancestry on Thursday visited an infamous embarkation point for those destined for lives in chai…
Analysis: Clashing visions weigh on U.S. drive for Taliban talks
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – As the United States makes a fresh attempt to start talks with the Taliban, competing visions in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan over what an eventual peace process might look like have emerged as one of the biggest hurdles.
Spain ruling party’s ex-treasurer sent to jail in corruption case
MADRID (Reuters) – A former treasurer for Spain’s ruling People’s Party was sent to jail without bail on Thursday as the High Court continues a pre-trial investigation into corruption charges against him.
Top officer rejects comparison of U.S., Chinese cyber snooping
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top U.S. military officer on Thursday dismissed comparisons of Chinese and American snooping in cyber space, saying all countries gathered intelligence on their potential adversaries but Beijing’s problematic “niche” was inte…
Kerry resumes tough Israeli-Palestinian peace mission
AMMAN (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s drive to revive Middle East peace talks hit familiar warning signals on Thursday as Israel’s prime minister stressed security needs and a Palestinian negotiator denounced Israeli settlement buildin…
Portuguese anti-austerity strike hits mostly transport
LISBON (Reuters) – Portuguese unions halted public transport on Thursday in a peaceful one-day strike against austerity measures that have led to the worst economic slump since the 1970s and sent unemployment to record levels.
Spain ruling party ex-treasurer sent to jail in corruption case
MADRID (Reuters) – A former treasurer for Spain’s ruling People’s Party was sent to jail without bail on Thursday as the High Court continues a pre-trial investigation into corruption charges against him.
Prosecutor says Berlusconi should pay damages in Mondadori case: sources
MILAN (Reuters) – Prosecutors have recommended Italy’s supreme court back a ruling that orders Silvio Berlusconi’s Fininvest to pay more than 500 million euros in damages over the acquisition of a publisher twenty years ago, legal sources said on Thurs…
U.N. chemical weapons team in Turkey to investigate Syria claims
AMSTERDAM/ANKARA (Reuters) – U.N.-appointed inspectors, blocked from entering Syria, are in Turkey to gather information about possible use of chemical weapons in the civil war, officials said on Thursday.
