Venezuela electoral council suspends recall drive against Maduro
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s electoral council on Thursday night said it was suspending a recall referendum drive against leftist president Nicolas Maduro due to court decisions.
What a sting on a regional governor says about how the Kremlin wins elections
MOSCOW (Reuters) – On a Friday evening in June, German businessman Yuri Zyudheimer and Russian regional governor Nikita Belykh sat down in a private booth in Megu, an upscale Japanese restaurant in central Moscow.
As May debuts in Brussels, EU readies negotiating engine room
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – When Theresa May meets Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Friday, she might just hear the sounds of carpenters working on new offices for the EU executive’s Brexit negotiators.
Nations agree on global road map to steer breakneck urbanization
QUITO, Ecuador (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The United Nations formally adopted a global road map to grapple with rapid urbanization on Thursday, capping nearly two years of behind-the-scenes international negotiations aimed at designing development…
Syria says east Aleppo ceasefire has begun, promises ‘safe exit’
AMMAN (Reuters) – The Syrian military said on Thursday a unilateral ceasefire backed by Russia had come into force to allow people to leave besieged eastern Aleppo, a move rejected by rebels who say they are preparing a counter-offensive to break the …
Libya forces free five foreign captives from Islamic State in Sirte
SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan pro-government forces have freed five foreign nationals held by Islamic State in Sirte after heavy fighting in their battle to capture the final district of the city, a local official said on Thursday.
EU agrees to boost efforts to tackle illegal migration from Africa
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to step up their efforts to curb illegal migration from African countries with the aim of replicating their success in halting inflows from Turkey over the past year.
Yemen missile launch, Saudi-led air strike strain truce
SANAA/ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) – A 72-hour truce in Yemen came under pressure on Thursday when missiles fired from Yemen killed two civilians in Saudi Arabia, the United States said, while a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes that Iran-allied Houthi…
U.S. urges Houthis to keep ceasefire, discusses JASTA with Saudi
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday urged Yemen’s Houthis to respect a ceasefire and said Saudi Arabia had a right to be free from rocket attacks like one that he said killed two Saudi civilians.
Duterte aligns Philippines with China, says U.S. has lost
BEIJING (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced his “separation” from the United States on Thursday, declaring he had realigned with China as the two agreed to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks.
