French presidential foes take spin battle to tumble-drier factory
AMIENS/ARRAS, France (Reuters) – Marine Le Pen set a public relations trap for rival presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday when she showed up among striking French workers at a closing factory the day he was meeting their union representa…
Russia says U.S. missile strike on Syria was a threat to its forces
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu complained on Wednesday that a U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base earlier this month had posed a threat to Russian troops and was forcing Moscow to take extra measures to protect them.
India, Afghanistan gave help to Pakistani Taliban, says group’s ex-spokesman
KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) – Afghan and Indian intelligence agencies gave funds and other assistance to Pakistani Taliban militants to fight Islamabad, the group’s former spokesman, who surrendered last week, said in a video released by Pakistan’s mil…
For some Mosul men, escape leads straight to the interrogator
HAMMAM AL-ALIL CAMP, Iraq (Reuters) – The Iraqi intelligence officer kept barking the same question at the 46-year-old man who was looking nervously at his hands after having escaped Mosul: “Why do you still have a beard?”
EU ponders stronger social protection as populist wave rises
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to strengthen social protection across the bloc as the European Union struggles with a wave of populism triggered by globalization and a migration crisis.
Saudi Arabia says foils bombing attempt on Aramco fuel distribution terminal
DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi forces foiled an attempt from Yemen to blow up an Aramco fuel terminal in the southern Jazan province on Tuesday using a boat laden with high explosives, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA…
Hungary’s Orban fights back after EU case over Soros university
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union opened a legal case against Hungary on Wednesday over a threat to close a Budapest university founded by the liberal U.S. financier George Soros, an accusation the country’s leader rejected as unfounded.
Turkish army, Kurdish militia exchange fire across Syria border
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s military outposts on the border with Syria came under fire from Kurdish militia across the frontier, the army said on Wednesday, a day after Turkish warplanes bombed groups in northeastern Syria and Iraq affiliated to the …
Exclusive: Uzbek president sidelines member of ruling triumvirate – sources
ALMATY (Reuters) – Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the new president of Uzbekistan, has moved to consolidate his power by sidelining a member of the triumvirate that has ruled the ex-Soviet state since last year, two sources familiar with the government told Reute…
Sarkozy camp eyes power-sharing role under France’s Macron
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s center-right party, seeking to rebound after the defeat of its presidential candidate, said on Wednesday it could share power with Emmanuel Macron if he is elected, as pollsters predict, on May 7.
