EU’s Tusk sees Russia sanctions renewal before mid-December
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Council President Donald Tusk said on Thursday that he expected the European Union to agree on a renewal of economic sanctions against Russia before summit of the bloc’s leaders he would chair in mid-December.
Libyan forces edge forward against Islamic State holdouts in Sirte
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libyan forces resumed their advance on Thursday against Islamic State militants holding out in a few streets in their former stronghold of Sirte, saying they had captured 25 houses and a stash of arms.
Hungary’s Fidesz well-placed to remain in power beyond 2018: PM aide
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party is well-placed to win a third successive term in power in a spring 2018 election, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff Janos Lazar said.
Egyptian activists raise alarm over expanding NGO crackdown
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian bill regulating non-governmental organizations is so restrictive it effectively bans human rights work and makes it harder for charities to operate, activists and development workers say.
Trump’s friend Farage taunts British PM with ‘ambassador’s reception’
LONDON (Reuters) – Nigel Farage, the Brexit campaigner who U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said would be great as Britain’s envoy to Washington, taunted Prime Minister Theresa May with a mock ambassador’s reception complete with chocolate and champag…
India’s reform architect trashes PM Modi’s cash crackdown
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday tore into his successor Narendra Modi’s clampdown on the cash economy, calling it an “organized loot and legalized plunder” of the country.
South Africa’s biggest union group backs Ramaphosa to succeed Zuma
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa saw his chances of becoming the country’s next leader increase on Thursday when a powerful union group backed him to succeed President Jacob Zuma as head of the ruling party.
Blast kills two at governor’s office in southern Turkish city
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – An explosion killed two people and wounded more than 30 outside the governor’s office in the southern Turkish city of Adana on Thursday, weeks after the United States warned of attacks by what it called extremist groups.
Risking flames and mines, Iraq oil workers battle to cap burning wells
QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) – His face blackened and helmet coated in soot, Hussein Saleh watched the oil fields of his home town in northern Iraq burn, belching up thick smoke that blotted out the sun.
Helicopters drop warning leaflets as Indonesia braces for new protests
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for calm on Thursday amid simmering religious tension as helicopters dropped police leaflets over the capital, warning residents of the risk of harsh penalties if new rallies led by Islamists …
