Slovakia toughens church registration rules to bar Islam
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) – Slovakia passed legislation on Wednesday to effectively block Islam from gaining official status as a religion in the near future in the latest sign of growing anti-Muslim sentiment across the European Union.
As Venezuela talks stutter, detained Maduro foes languish
CARACAS (Reuters) – When he received a call saying he had won a mobile phone, Gilberto Sojo, a low-income bank messenger and opposition activist, rushed off happily to collect it.
On West Bank hilltop, Israeli settlers hunker down in the face of eviction
AMONA, West Bank (Reuters) – On a hilltop in the occupied West Bank, Israeli teenagers are hammering stakes into the earth and erecting tent frames, preparing the ground for a confrontation with Israeli security forces.
Newcomers wait years for running water as Mexico City suburbs struggle
MEXICO CITY (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – An hour’s drive from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City, paved roads give way to dust, snaking up hills dotted with cornfields and wildflowers.
Merkel does not see EU expanding membership talks with Turkey
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel does not expect the European Union to open negotiations on new policy areas with Turkey in its talks to join the bloc, her spokesman said on Wednesday.
In a battle over Brexit, court challenger fears Britain’s demons have been unleashed
LONDON (Reuters) – When Gina Miller took the British government to court over triggering Brexit, she didn’t expect death threats or the need to bring in security so that her children could get to school safely.
Russian forces in Crimea put on alert before Ukrainian missile tests: TASS
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian air defense forces in Crimea have been placed on high alert on the eve of planned Ukrainian missile tests near the Black Sea peninsula, the TASS news agency cited a Crimean military source as saying on Wednesday.
Georgia president sees strong U.S. ties maintained under Trump
TBILISI (Reuters) – Georgia expects relations with the United States under Donald Trump to remain strong despite his calls for improved ties with Russia and Tbilisi will keep pressing for closer collaboration with NATO, the president of the ex-Soviet r…
Rescue service say dozens killed in Aleppo attack
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Rescue workers said more than 45 people had been killed in artillery bombardment of rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Wednesday, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 50,000 people had been displaced by the fighting.
UK hopes to look at EU citizens rights early in Brexit negotiations: PM May
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain hopes to tackle the issue of the future rights of European Union citizens in Britain and Britons living in the EU early on in talks on Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.
