Syrian rebels release 24 detainees from besieged Damascus suburb: SANA
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian rebels in the besieged enclave of eastern Ghouta released 24 captive men, women and children in a deal mediated by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, state media said on Tuesday.
U.S.-led meeting says sanctions pressure on North Korea must been maintained
VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Participants at a 20-nation meeting on North Korea said on Tuesday that sanctions pressure must be maintained on Pyongyang to force it to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
Rogue Venezuelan helicopter pilot killed in police raid: official
CARACAS (Reuters) – Rogue Venezuelan helicopter pilot Oscar Perez was killed in a police operation on Monday along with six other members of a “terrorist cell,” the interior minister said on Tuesday, spurring opposition complaints of human rights viola…
U.S. warily eyeing new Russian air defenses in Crimea
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The United States is assessing the security implications of Russia’s latest deployment of S-400 air defenses to Crimea, a U.S. military official said on Wednesday, adding it could give existing Russian defenses more resilience.
Split Social Democrats could sink Merkel’s coalition plans
BERLIN/DUESSELDORF (Reuters) – The leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) tried on Tuesday to quash a grassroots rebellion against a blueprint agreed with Angela Merkel’s conservatives to enter formal talks on a “grand coalition” which could scuppe…
Jordan, Greece and Cyprus say more support needed to states on refugee frontline
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Greece, Jordan and Cyprus called for more effective support to countries on the frontline of the Middle East refugee crisis on Tuesday and pledged to deepen cooperation on a host of issues from water management to protection of arte…
Japan issues false alarm over missile launch, days after Hawaii alert gaffe
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese public broadcaster NHK issued a false alarm on Tuesday saying North Korea appeared to have launched a missile and urging people to take shelter, but it managed to correct the error within minutes.
Pope, in Chile, expresses ‘pain and shame’ over Church sex abuse scandal
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Pope Francis expressed “pain and shame” on Tuesday over a sexual abuse scandal that has rocked Chile’s Roman Catholic Church, asking forgiveness for the “irreparable damage” done to children molested by priests.
Syrian opposition calls on Trump and EU to up pressure on Russia and Iran
LONDON (Reuters) – Syria’s chief opposition negotiator called on U.S. President Donald Trump and European Union leaders to increase pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, Russia and Iran to return to talks aimed at ending the six-year civil war.
Russian pollster pulls pre-election research over closure fears
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s only major independent pollster, the Levada Center, said on Tuesday it had stopped publishing polls about the forthcoming presidential election because it feared the authorities might shut it down for perceived meddling.
