West weighs Syria attack that could lead to confrontation with Russia
LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) – British ministers planned to gather on Thursday to discuss whether to join the United States and France in a possible military attack on Syria that threatens to bring Western and Russian forces into direct confrontation.
Japanese finance minister admonishes top bureaucrat after harassment report
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s finance minister admonished his top bureaucrat on Thursday after a magazine reported the official had sexually harassed several female journalists, but he stopped short of imposing any punishment.
Czech PM Babis says government with Communists, far right a last resort
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said forming a government with two fringe parties – one anti-NATO and the other anti-EU – was a last resort he would not fall back on without explicit support from his ANO party, a newspaper reported…
Syrian government raises flag in Douma: Russian agencies
BEIRUT/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Syrian government forces have raised their flag over the last rebel bastion in eastern Ghouta, taking full control of the town of Douma as insurgents withdraw, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday, sealing a major victor…
British PM May summons ministers to discuss possible military action in Syria
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May summoned her senior ministers to a special cabinet meeting on Thursday to discuss joining the United States and France in possible military action against Syria after a suspected poison gas attack o…
Holding pattern: Syrian ‘stuck in transit’ in KL for more than a month
KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA (Reuters) – A 36-year-old Syrian has been stuck in transit in the Malaysian capital for more than a month, he said, in a case that echoes the Steven Spielberg movie, “The Terminal”.
Two more activists jailed in Vietnam amid widening dissent crackdown
HANOI (Reuters) – Courts in Vietnam handed prison sentences to two activists on Thursday, as the communist-ruled government widens its crackdown on dissent.
Yulia Skripal declines Russian help but embassy doubts statement
LONDON (Reuters) – Yulia Skripal, who was poisoned in Britain last month along with her father, a former Russian spy, has said she did not wish to take up the offer of assistance from the Russian embassy in London.
Taliban seize district in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province
GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Taliban militants captured a district in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province near the provincial capital early on Thursday and killed more than a dozen people including the district’s governor, a police official said.
Syrian government forces gain full control of eastern Ghouta: Russian agencies
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Syrian government forces have taken full control over the town of Douma, the last rebel stronghold in the eastern Ghouta enclave outside Damascus, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday, citing a Russian military official.
