Iraq open to business, including with Rosneft, foreign minister says
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Baghdad is open to business with any company interested in supporting the country, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari said in Moscow on Wednesday, answering a question about the activities of Russia’s Rosneft in the region.
Britain’s Johnson says Northern Irish border issue being used to frustrate Brexit
LONDON (Reuters) – The issue of Northern Ireland’s border with the Republic of Ireland is being used to try and keep Britain in a customs union with the European Union and frustrate Brexit, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.
Cambodia ‘shocked’ by ‘disrespectful’ U.S. aid cut, says democracy intact
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodia said on Wednesday it was saddened and shocked by a “disrespectful” U.S. decision to rein back aid programs because of perceived democratic setbacks and defended its record on democracy.
Syrian government forces gain ground in Ghouta: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian government forces and allied militias gained ground on Wednesday in clashes with rebels in eastern Ghouta near Damascus as fighting raged despite a Russian ceasefire plan, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Jerusalem’s Church of Holy Sepulchre reopens after protest
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial, reopened on Wednesday after Israel backtracked on Tuesday from a tax plan and draft property legislation that triggered a three-day p…
Afghanistan’s Ghani offers talks with Taliban ‘without preconditions’
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group on Wednesday as part of a proposed political process that he said could lead to talks aimed at ending more than 16 years of war.
Afghanistan’s Ghani offers peace talks with Taliban ‘without condition’
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered recognition of Taliban insurgents as a legitimate political group on Wednesday as part of a proposed political process that could lead to talks aimed at ending more than 16 years of war.
China’s military flexes muscles for domestic objective: more funding
BEIJING (Reuters) – With stealth jets entering service, leaked pictures of new high-tech naval artillery and proud reports of maneuvers that “dare to shine the sword,” China’s armed forces are putting on a show of power as they lobby for greater defens…
‘Big data’ predictions spur detentions in China’s Xinjiang: Human Rights Watch
(This February 27 story adds missing “did not” to police response in paragraph 6)
Saudi crown prince says corruption purge supports budget: Washington Post
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince said the kingdom’s anti-corruption crackdown was needed to meet budget targets, comparing the purge to chemotherapy in an interview with the Washington Post published on Wednesday.
