Germany sends 650 troops to fight IS arms smuggling in Mediterranean
BERLIN (Reuters) – The German cabinet gave the green light on Wednesday to send up to 650 troops to join a new NATO mission to combat arms smuggling by the Islamic State militant group in the Mediterranean Sea.
Australia’s far-right leader denounces China investment in comeback speech
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Pauline Hanson, founder of Australia’s far-right One Nation party, used her first speech in parliament in almost two decades on Wednesday to denounce Chinese ownership of assets and warn that the country is in danger of “being swampe…
Pope says murdered French priest a martyr, on road to sainthood
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis said Father Jacques Hamel, the French priest knifed to death at his altar by Islamist militants in July, was a “martyr”, and indicated on Wednesday he was already on the road to sainthood.
Japanese PM to discuss North Korea, economic ties during rare Cuba trip
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will seek Cuba’s help in responding to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs during a rare visit to Havana next week, a spokesman said, and also hopes to expand Japanese business interests on th…
Malaysian democracy group to stage 1MDB protest, calling for PM to resign
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian democracy group Bersih said on Wednesday it would hold a protest rally calling for the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak to allow an independent investigation into the financial scandal at 1Malaysia …
EU’s Schulz calls for review of ethics code after Barroso goes to Goldman
BERLIN (Reuters) – European Parliament President Martin Schulz said the European Union should revise its code of conduct after the furor caused by former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso taking a job with U.S. bank Goldman Sachs, a Ger…
North Korea ramps up uranium enrichment, enough for six nuclear bombs a year: experts
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea will have enough material for about 20 nuclear bombs by the end of this year, with ramped-up uranium enrichment facilities and an existing stockpile of plutonium, according to new assessments by weapons experts.
Syria truce largely holds as aid preparations begin
BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) – A new ceasefire in Syria brought a full day with no combat deaths in the war between President Bashar al-Assad and his opponents, a monitoring body said on Tuesday, as efforts to deliver aid to besieged areas got cautiously un…
Record new U.S. military aid deal for Israel to be signed in days: sources
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and Israel have agreed on a record $38 billion package of U.S. military aid and will sign the new pact on Wednesday, enshrining defense funding for Washington’s closest Middle East ally for the next decade, officials said.
Quake strikes northwest of Medellin, Colombia
(Reuters) – An earthquake measuring 6.0 magnitude struck off northwest Colombia on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
