Cornered Merkel launches talks with SPD in bid to secure fourth term
BERLIN (Reuters) – More than three months after a German election, Chancellor Angela Merkel is still scrambling to form a new government and will on Sunday launch a five-day attempt to persuade the Social Democrats (SPD) to join a coalition with her co…
Egypt’s Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas amid tight security
CAIRO (Reuters) – The head of the Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II, led midnight mass in the cathedral of Egypt’s new administrative capital on Saturday, a service attended by President Abdel Fattah al Sisi.
UK’s May to rejig cabinet on Monday, senior ministers safe: report
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May will announce changes to her ministerial cabinet on Monday but her foreign, finance, interior and Brexit ministers will keep their jobs, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.
Peru’s Fujimori calls for unity after controversial pardon
LIMA (Reuters) – Recently pardoned former president Alberto Fujimori called for Peruvians on Saturday to set aside their “grudges” in order to unite against violence and crime, appealing to his right-wing political base two days after being freed from …
Iran stages pro-government rallies, derides Trump ‘blunder’ at U.N.
DUBAI (Reuters) – Thousands of government supporters staged rallies in Iran for a fourth day on Saturday in a backlash against widespread anti-government protests that the clerical establishment has blamed on the country’s enemies.
Gunmen kill 13 in Senegal’s Casamance region: army
DAKAR (Reuters) – Gunmen shot dead 13 people and wounded seven others on Saturday in the forest of Senegal’s southern region of Casamance, the army said.
Arab League to lobby U.N. to recognize Palestinian state
AMMAN (Reuters) – Arab states will soon embark on a diplomatic drive to persuade the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Saf…
Nigeria starts large scale evacuation of its citizens from Libya
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Nigeria is starting flights to evacuate thousands of its citizens from Libya which will continue until all those wanting to return home have done so, its foreign minister said on Saturday.
Trump says he would ‘absolutely’ talk to North Korea’s Kim on phone
CAMP DAVID, Md. (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “absolutely” be willing to talk on the phone to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and that he hopes a positive development results from talks between North Korea and South …
Israel supports gradual funding cut to U.N. agency for Palestinians: official
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel supports a cut in U.S. funding for a U.N. agency that provides aid to Palestinian refugees – a possibility raised by President Donald Trump – but prefers it be carried out gradually, a senior Israeli official said on Saturd…
