Germany wants fast judicial process for journalist held in Turkey
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany wants a fast and fair judicial process that secures the release of a German-Turkish journalist jailed in Turkey a year ago, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.
Billionaire businessman Mendoza rules out Venezuela election bid – sources
VALENCIA, Venezuela (Reuters) – Billionaire businessman Lorenzo Mendoza has ruled out challenging Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in the upcoming election despite multiple calls for him to stand, sources from his company’s workforce said on Thursd…
EU tries to breathe life back into U.N. Syria talks
SOFIA (Reuters) – The European Union on Thursday called for a swift restart of the stalled United Nations peace talks for Syria, worried by Russia’s efforts to tighten the grip on power of its ally, President Bashar al-Assad.
Ex-Greek PM sues Tsipras for slander over drug bribery case
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s former prime minister Antonis Samaras filed a lawsuit against Alexis Tsipras on Thursday, accusing the current head of government of slander and “a villainous plot” against him over a bribery case.
Ukraine parliament will adopt anti-corruption court law by May: speaker
KIEV (Reuters) – The Ukrainian parliament should adopt a law to create an anti-corruption court before May, its speaker told the head of an International Monetary Fund mission to Kiev on Thursday.
Egypt’s military says kills 53 militants in week-long offensive
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s military and police forces have killed a total of 53 Islamist militants and arrested 680 suspects in a week-long offensive to crush insurgents that is focused on the Sinai Peninsula, a military spokesman said on Thursday.
Ramaphosa elected president of South Africa, vows anti-corruption fight
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Cyril Ramaphosa was elected as South Africa’s president in a parliamentary vote on Thursday and pledged to tackle endemic corruption after scandal-ridden Jacob Zuma resigned on orders from the ruling African National Congress.
‘Ashamed’, Oxfam Haiti ex-director denies sex allegations
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The former Oxfam director at the heart of a sex abuse scandal said on Thursday he made mistakes when working in Haiti but denied paying for sex with prostitutes or abusing minors.
Tillerson says Hezbollah role is a threat to Lebanon
BEIRUT (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Lebanon on Thursday that the Iran-backed Hezbollah group’s growing arsenal and involvement in regional conflicts threatened Lebanon’s security.
Ethiopia’s prime minister resigns to smooth path for political reform
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn suddenly resigned on Thursday in what he described as a bid to smooth reforms, following years of violent unrest that threatened the ruling party’s hold on Africa’s second most popu…
