Syria’s Assad close to retaking Ghouta as some rebels quit
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian government appeared close to ending rebel resistance in eastern Ghouta as civilians streamed from one of its besieged, bomb-battered towns and insurgents prepared to surrender another on Thursday.
French public sector, rail workers strike in test for Macron
PARIS (Reuters) – Teachers, train conductors and airline controllers walked off the job across France on Thursday, disrupting transport and public services in a test of public anger with President Emmanuel Macron’s reform drive.
Dutch say ‘no’ in referendum on spy agency tapping powers
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Dutch voters have narrowly rejected a law that would give spy agencies the power to carry out mass tapping of Internet traffic delivering a setback to Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government.
Sarkozy denies wrongdoing, says Libya lies make his life ‘hell’: paper
PARIS (Reuters) – Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy told magistrates that accusations of illicit Libyan funding for his 2007 election campaign were a web of lies that had made his life “hell” and lost him a re-election bid in 2012, Le Figaro news…
Maldives lifts state of emergency after 45 days
MALE (Reuters) – Maldives President Abdulla Yameen on Thursday lifted a 45-day state of emergency which had outlawed protests amid political upheaval on the Muslim-majority Indian Ocean island chain.
Turkey says will drive Kurdish YPG from Syrian border area if no deal with U.S.
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey will drive the Kurdish YPG militia away from the Syrian border if it does not reach agreement with the United States on a plan to remove the group from Syria’s Manbij region, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday….
Toxic gases from Indonesian volcano sends 30 to hospital
JAKARTA (Reuters) – An Indonesian volcano belched thick clouds of sulphuric gas on Wednesday, sending 30 people to hospital and prompting the closure of the popular tourist and mining site.
Killing of aid workers in Nigeria a setback for troubled crisis response
ABUJA (Reuters) – Islamist insurgents arrived in the northeastern Nigerian town of Rann on March 1. Ignoring the camp for 55,000 people displaced by the region’s conflict, they stormed the nearby military base.
Peru prosecutors seek to bar toppled president from leaving country: source
LIMA (Reuters) – Anti-graft prosecutors in Peru on Wednesday asked a judge to bar President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski from leaving the South American country hours after he announced his resignation in the face of near-certain impeachment, a judiciary sour…
Sarkozy says Libya funding accusations make his life ‘hell’ – paper
PARIS (Reuters) – French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy told magistrates who put him under formal investigation on Wednesday that accusations that he got illicit Libyan funding for his 2007 election campaign were lies that were making his life “hell”, Le…
