Indonesia extends Bali airport closure due to volcanic ash
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s transportation ministry said on Tuesday it will extend the closure of Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport for a further 24 hours because of ash from the eruption of the island’s Mount Agung volcano.
Deputy Irish PM resists calls to resign as crisis deepens
DUBLIN (Reuters) – A political crisis that has left Ireland on the brink of a snap election deepened on Monday as the deputy prime minister resisted fresh calls to resign and uncertainty over her future cast a shadow over a Brexit summit next month.
Diplomats search for way to save trade system after U.S. vetoes judges
GENEVA (Reuters) – Diplomats are searching for ways to prevent the global trade dispute resolution system from freezing up, after the Trump administration blocked appointments to the body that acts as the supreme court for global trade.
Merkel heads to EU-Africa summit with eye on migrant issue at home
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel will focus on expanding business ties and trying to regulate migration with Africa during an EU-Africa summit in Abidjan this week, as she comes under pressure at home to make progress faster on both f…
U.N. asks Brazil for peacekeepers for Central African Republic
BRASILIA (Reuters) – The United Nations has asked Brazil to send troops to join its peace mission in the Central African Republic, said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the U.N.’s head of peacekeeping operations, in an interview on Monday.
Pentagon says reviewing ‘adjustments’ to arms for Syrian Kurds
WASHINGTON/ANKARA (Reuters) – The Pentagon said on Monday it was reviewing “adjustments” in arms for the Syrian Kurdish forces that have angered Turkey, but it stopped short of halting weapons transfers, suggesting such decisions would be based on batt…
Israel pushes on with law seen protecting PM under criminal probe
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Israeli parliament voted on Monday in favor of a draft law barring police from publicizing its conclusions in criminal probes — legislation seen as shielding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under investigation for c…
Mexico finance minister Meade resigns to run for presidency
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s finance minister Jose Antonio Meade stepped down on Monday to seek the 2018 presidential nomination for the ruling party, which hopes his honest reputation will help counter the taint of corruption that has blighted its…
Germany’s Christmas markets open under tight security a year after attack
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Christmas markets opened on Monday at the start of the holiday season, with security staff on hand and concrete barriers to protect shoppers, nearly a year after an Islamist militant killed 12 people by driving a truck into…
Suicide attack targets area southeast of Baghdad
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Two attackers shot several civilians on Monday in the Nahrawan area southeast of Baghdad before one blew himself up and the other was killed by security forces, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said, without providing official casualty f…
