World Category Archive

Mexico navy says finds 50 tons of meth in mountain lab

Mexican marines on Friday said they had discovered an underground drug lab in the mountains outside the capital of Sinaloa state where they destroyed 50 tons of methamphetamine.

China complains about Pentagon report, says it is ‘pure guesswork’

China’s Defence Ministry has lodged a complaint with the United States about a Pentagon report that said China’s military was likely training for strikes against the United States and its allies, saying it was “pure guesswork”.

Quake rattles southern Costa Rica, Panama; no damage reported

A magnitude 6.0 quake struck southern Costa Rica on Friday, close to the border with Panama, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damages in the two Central American countries.

Taiwan’s president lauds Belize amid dwindling support

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen thanked the government of Belize on Friday for backing Taiwan’s claim to independence from China for 29 years.

U.N. chief suggests options for improved Palestinian protection

The protection of Palestinian civilians could be improved by the deployment of U.N.-mandated armed forces or unarmed observers, a beefed-up U.N. civilian presence or expanded U.N. assistance, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in a report on Friday.

Worst floods in a century kill scores in India’s Kerala

The worst floods in a century in the Indian state of Kerala have killed 164 people and forced more than 200,000 into relief camps, officials said on Friday, with more misery expected as heavy rain pushed water levels higher.

First a wedding, then hard work: Putin to visit Germany’s Merkel

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday for talks about the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, as well as the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project that has drawn U.S. ire.

China’s top diplomat says cooperation with Iran to continue: Xinhua

China will continue its cooperation and relations with Iran, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, citing a statement from Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi.

Peru says no sign of Venezuelans sought by Maduro over drone blasts

Peru’s top immigration official said Friday that two Venezuelan civilians whom Caracas alleges were involved in recent drone blasts during a speech by President Nicolas Maduro do not appear to have set foot in Peru.

In northeast Nigerian camp, one in 200 young children ‘died over two weeks’

More than one of every 200 children aged under five at a camp in northeast Nigeria died in just two weeks in early August, according to Reuters calculations based on data from aid agency Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on Friday.

Brazil’s Lula should have political rights: U.N. Human Rights Committee

The U.N. Human Rights Committee on Friday said it had requested that the Brazilian government allow imprisoned former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to exercise his political rights.

Israeli troops kill two on Gaza border, Jerusalem stabber shot dead

Israeli troops killed two Palestinians and wounded scores of other taking part in weekly Gaza border protests on Friday, medics said, as Egyptian mediators tried to clinch a truce deal that would calm the impoverished enclave.

Argentina president says poverty to rise as economy slumps

More Argentines are likely living in poverty now compared with last year, President Mauricio Macri said on Friday, as the country’s economy slides toward recession following a currency crisis and a severe drought that harmed farm output.

U.S. imposes sanctions on Myanmar military over Rohingya crackdown

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on four Myanmar military and police commanders and two army units for involvement in what it called “ethnic cleansing” and other human rights abuses against the country’s Rohingya Muslims, the Treasury Department said.

Italy acts to revoke motorway concession after bridge collapse

Italian rescue workers used jackhammers and cranes on Friday to lift giant slabs of concrete from the Genoa highway bridge collapse, hoping to find survivors buried in the rubble of the disaster that killed at least 38 people.

Germany reaches deal on sending back migrants to Greece

Germany has reached an agreement with Greece to send back migrants to the Mediterranean country if they have already applied for asylum there, a German Interior Ministry spokeswoman said on Friday.

Loser in Mali election files appeal to overturn results

The losing candidate in Mali’s presidential election, Soumaila Cisse, said on Friday that he has lodged an appeal with the country’s constitutional court to overturn the results that he says were fraudulent.

Merkel says don’t expect much from meeting with Putin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday she did not expect her Saturday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to produce any particular results.

Two arrested in Chile over bomb threats that caused flight chaos

Chilean police arrested two men over bomb threats that grounded nine commercial airplanes in Chile, Peru and Argentina on Thursday.

Higher living costs, fees force many Egyptians to drop haj plans

Mahmoud Aouni has always wanted to make the haj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, an important religious duty for all Muslims, but says he might never be able to do so now because of Egypt’s economic woes.

Rescuers deal with fire in Italian bridge rubble before day of mourning

Rescue workers searched through tons of concrete and steel from the collapsed Genoa highway bridge for a fourth day on Friday as Italians prepared to bury the 38 victims of a disaster that has angered the public and rattled industry.

Engineering study in 2017 warned about state of Italian bridge

An engineering study commissioned by Italian highway operator Autostrade last year warned about the state of the concrete-encased cable stays that held up a bridge that collapsed this week in Genoa, two Italian newspapers reported on Friday.

Algeria’s Bouteflika sacks two senior army generals: presidency

Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Friday dismissed two senior generals, the presidency said, two months after he sacked the North African country’s police chief.

Ex-cricketer Imran Khan elected prime minister of Pakistan

Pakistani lawmakers elected former cricket legend Imran Khan prime minister on Friday, paving the way for him to form a coalition government whose first major task will be to avert a brewing economic crisis.

Tunisia says it is holding passport of Islamist suspect deported by Germany pending probe

Tunisia has confiscated the passport of a man suspected of being an Islamist militant who once served as Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard to prevent him returning to Germany, a judiciary official said on Friday.

The Rohingya lists: refugees compile their own record of those killed in Myanmar

Mohib Bullah is not your typical human rights investigator. He chews betel and he lives in a rickety hut made of plastic and bamboo. Sometimes, he can be found standing in a line for rations at the Rohingya refugee camp where he lives in Bangladesh.

Somali Puntland forces recapture strategic town from al Shabaab: officer

Military forces of Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region have retaken a strategic town from Islamic militant group al Shabaab, an officer said on Friday.

EU deplores ‘brutal treatment’ of Ugandan MPs after president’s convoy stoned

European Union diplomats in Uganda on Friday deplored “brutal treatment” of lawmakers arrested over a stoning of President Yoweri Museveni’s convoy, and a rights body called for Ugandan authorities to prosecute the perpetrators of the alleged abuses.

Netanyahu questioned again in telecoms case, sees it ‘collapsing’

Israeli police questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday over what local media said was a case involving the country’s largest telecoms firm, one of three corruption probes in which he has been named as a suspect.

Nigerian journalist freed on bail after citing letter from police chief, paper says

A Nigerian court on Friday released a journalist on bail after he was arrested following the publication of an article that cited a confidential letter from the chief of police, the reporter’s newspaper said.

Slovenia’s parliament confirms Sarec as PM designate

Slovenia’s parliament approved Marjan Sarec, a comedian turned politician, as prime minister designate on Friday, setting him on track to form a minority government and end the country’s longest political stalemate since an election.

U.N. rights chief condemns Bosnian Serb revoking of Srebrenica report

Outgoing United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein condemned a decision by the Bosnian Serb parliament to revoke a 2004 report on the Srebrenica massacre and called on lawmakers to reconsider the move which he said will damage reconciliation.

Leftists rattle rand with plan to nationalize South Africa’s central bank

Opposition firebrand Julius Malema introduced a bill to nationalize South Africa’s central bank, putting pressure on the ruling ANC to go through with a plan it shelved this year and rattling markets wary of threats to the bank’s independence.

Afghan president congratulates armed forces for Ghazni victory

President Ashraf Ghani congratulated Afghanistan’s armed forces in Ghazni on Friday for their victory over Taliban insurgents in the strategically important city after clashes that killed at least 150 soldiers and 95 civilians.

Xiamen Air plane skids off Philippine runway, disrupting flights

A Xiamen Air aircraft with 165 people on board veered off an airport runway in the Philippines capital of Manila shortly before midnight (1555 GMT) on Thursday, but there were no casualties.

Separatist bid looms over Barcelona attack commemoration

Barcelona paid tribute on Friday to the victims of a jihadist militant rampage last year which killed 16 people, against a backdrop of simmering resentment over Madrid’s treatment of a drive for independence for the surrounding region of Catalonia.

Mexico union boss victory exposes crack in top graft cases

A Mexican court ruling allowing an ex-union boss to walk free of money laundering charges laid bare a serious flaw in a host of other high-profile corruption trials, officials and experts say, and underscored the challenge facing the incoming government.

Pentagon says China military ‘likely training for strikes’ on U.S. targets

China’s military has expanded its bomber operations in recent years while “likely training for strikes” against the United States and its allies, a Pentagon report released on Thursday said.

Wife of jailed Reuters journalist in Myanmar gives birth

The wife of imprisoned Reuters journalist Wa Lone, who is facing up to 14 years in jail in Myanmar for allegedly violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, gave birth to a girl on Friday.

China police detain man for asking why can’t Taiwan be called a country

Police in China have detained a man who asked on social media what law prevented anyone calling self-ruled Taiwan a country, questioning a fundamental principle of China’s sovereignty.

Germany looks at easing immigration laws to fill skilled labor gaps

The German cabinet will soon decide on a proposal to make it easier for skilled workers from outside the European Union to move to Germany to take a job, a paper seen by Reuters shows, as Germany seeks to alleviate chronic labor shortages.

Atlantia to hold board meetings after Genoa bridge disaster: source

Italian toll-road operator Autostrade per l’Italia is expected to hold an extraordinary board meeting next Tuesday to discuss the Genoa bridge disaster, a source said.

London mayor Khan consults disaster planners over no-deal Brexit

London’s mayor Sadiq Khan said on Friday he had asked the organization that deals with militant attacks and disasters in the British capital to assess the impact of a “no-deal” Brexit on access to medicines and food and on law and order.

China says U.S. politicizing Confucius Institute shows ‘lack of self-confidence’

China said on Friday the politicizing of a Chinese-run cultural organization by some people in the United States showed “a lack of self-confidence”, after the University of North Florida said it would close a campus branch of the Confucius Institute.

Russian, Turkish defense ministers discuss Syrian refugees: TASS

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the return of Syrian refugees to Syria with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar during talks in Moscow on Friday, the TASS news agency cited the Russian ministry as saying.

Yemeni government and Houthi movement invited to Sept 6 peace talks: U.N

The United Nations has invited the Yemeni government and the Houthi movement that controls most of the north to peace talks in Geneva on Sept. 6, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Friday.

Japan ministries may have fiddled numbers of disabled employees: media

Several ministries in Japan may have been inflating for decades the number of disabled people they employ in order to meet quotas, media said on Friday, even as the government imposes levies on private companies that fail to meet theirs.

Ecuador, Peru tighten entry requirements for Venezuelans as influx swells

Ecuador on Thursday said that all foreigners entering the country would need a passport from Saturday, an apparent attempt to curb rising numbers of Venezuelan migrants fleeing their homeland.

Peru to tighten entry requirements for Venezuelans as migration surges: sources

The government of Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra is going to start barring Venezuelan migrants from entering the country unless they have passports, two government sources said on Thursday, following a similar decision in neighboring Ecuador.

Japan says U.N. experts’ call to protect nuclear clean-up workers is ‘regrettable’

Japan on Friday described as “extremely regrettable” a call by U.N. human rights experts for greater protection of workers cleaning up its damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and said it had notified U.N. officials of its reaction.

In India’s citizenship test, a spelling error can ruin a family

Riyazul Islam says he had to produce family documents going back to 1951 to prove he was an Indian and not an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant. But a draft list of citizens released in July excluded him and his mother, among a total of about 4 million people left off.

Nine planes grounded by bomb threats in South America: Chilean authorities

Four planes were forced to make emergency landings in Chile and Peru on Thursday due to bomb threats issued to the Chilean Civil Aviation Authority, it said in a statement.