Syria government urges U.N. chief to avert ‘looming dam catastrophe’
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Syria’s government urged U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to demand that a U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State militants stop targeting the Euphrates and Tishrin dams and surrounding areas “to forestall a …
Senegal detains three men for trafficking hundreds of animal skins
DAKAR (Reuters) – A Senegal court remanded in custody two Senegalese and a Malian on Thursday for involvement in the trade of hundreds of animal skins, including a species of crocodile threatened with extinction, according to the NGO WARA.
Merkel says does not intend to trade provocations with Turkey
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel ruled out trading provocations with Turkey on Thursday after President Tayyip Erdogan sharply criticized bans on planned rallies by Turkish ministers in Germany and the Netherlands.
Somali pirates release hijacked ship, crew without ransom
BOSASSO (Reuters) – Somali pirates released a hijacked oil tanker and its eight Sri Lankan crew on Thursday, a Somali security official and the pirates said, bringing the first hijacking since 2012 to an unusually swift conclusion without the payment o…
Ghana opposition slams president over ‘elephant size’ government
ACCRA (Reuters) – Ghana’s main opposition party and radio phone-in callers slammed new President Nana Akufo-Addo on Thursday for naming an ‘elephant size’ team of 110 ministers and deputies despite a campaign promise to cut government waste.
Air strike on mosque near Aleppo in Syria kills 42: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Warplanes struck a mosque in the rebel-held village of al-Jina, in northwest Syria, killing at least 42 people and wounding dozens, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said on Thursday.
Polish court approves bill that could aid crackdown on unwanted protests
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s constitutional court gave its final approval on Thursday to a bill that could be used to ban certain demonstrations and is part of a wider crackdown on opponents by the right-wing government.
Somali Islamists let drought-hit civilians roam in search of food
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Somali Islamists are letting civilians in drought-hit regions under their control move with relative freedom to find food, the group and a U.N. official said on Thursday, but they are continuing to restrict the access of internati…
Le Pen foes relish Dutch vote, but French election may be different
PARIS (Reuters) – Adversaries of Marine Le Pen expressed relief on Thursday after her ally Geert Wilders won fewer seats than expected in a Dutch election, but analysts warned against reading too much into the result ahead of France’s tight presidentia…
U.N. chief warns against abrupt U.S. funding cuts to world body
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday against an abrupt cut to U.S. funding for the world body, and France’s U.N. envoy said a retreat by Washington from global affairs could lead to more instab…
