Ecuador presidential election goes to runoff between leftist, ex-banker
QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador’s presidential election will go to an April runoff between leftist government candidate Lenin Moreno and ex-banker Guillermo Lasso, the electoral body said on Tuesday, after a nail-biter first round over the weekend.
Gambia arrests head of intelligence agency linked to killings
BANJUL (Reuters) – Authorities in Gambia have detained the former head of the National Intelligence Agency, a body human rights groups say tortured and killed perceived opponents of former leader Yahya Jammeh, who went into exile last month after losin…
Exclusive: CIA-backed aid for Syrian rebels frozen after Islamist attack – sources
BEIRUT/AMMAN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – CIA-coordinated military aid for rebels in northwest Syria has been frozen since they came under major Islamist attack last month, rebel sources said, raising doubts about foreign support key to their war against Pre…
Germany’s Social Democrats behind Merkel’s conservatives, poll shows
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s center-left Social Democrats (SPD) are trailing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, an opinion poll showed on Tuesday, after a different survey on Sunday put the SPD ahead.
Leftist rival to challenge Renzi as leader of Italy’s ruling party
ROME (Reuters) – Michele Emiliano, the leftist president of the southern region of Puglia, said on Tuesday he would challenge former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi for the leadership of Italy’s ruling Democratic Party (PD), which faces a damaging split.
Nigeria’s Buhari needs further rest as is deputy launches action plan
ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari needs further rest in Britain following medical tests but there is no need to worry about him, his spokesman said on Tuesday, as his deputy launched a 60-day plan to improve the recession-mired econ…
Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State set to storm airport, clear way to western Mosul
SOUTH OF MOSUL, Iraq/BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S.-backed Iraqi forces closing in on the Islamic State-held western half of Mosul prepared on Tuesday to storm the airport and a nearby military base on its southern outskirts to create a bridgehead for a thru…
Ukrainian MP plans to travel to Washington to push peace plan
KIEV (Reuters) – A Ukrainian lawmaker who proposed an alternative plan for peace with Russian-backed separatists to U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration told Reuters on Tuesday he plans to travel to Washington to present the proposal publicly.
Malaysia says still to establish what killed North Korean
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian authorities said on Tuesday they had still to establish what was used to kill the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and the body had not been formally identified as no next of kin have come fo…
Seeking to secure Sinai, Egypt builds closer ties with Hamas
CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) – After years of strained relations, Egypt is moving closer to Hamas in Gaza, offering concessions on trade and free movement in return for moves to secure the border against Islamic State fighters who have killed hundreds of polic…
