Former Auschwitz guard dies just days before going on trial in Germany
BERLIN (Reuters) – A former Auschwitz guard has died only days before going on trial in Germany, accused of being an accessory to the murder of more than 1,000 people, a court spokesman said on Thursday.
Afghan casualties disputed after U.S. air strikes
KABUL (Reuters) – U.S. warplanes conducted two air strikes in Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan on Wednesday but there were conflicting reports on whether the casualties were civilians or combatants.
Turkey grants temporary protection to Syrians returned from Greek islands
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey will grant temporary protection status to Syrian migrants sent back from Greek islands, the government said on Thursday, a step required under an agreement with the European Union to combat illegal migration.
South Korean conservatives seen regaining hold of assembly in election
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s ruling conservative Saenuri Party is expected to regain its parliamentary majority in elections next week despite a sluggish economy and gridlock that made the last legislative term one of the least productive ever.
Germany investigates comedian over satirical poem about Erdogan
BERLIN (Reuters) – German prosecutors are investigating a comedian who recited an obscene poem about Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a satirical show on national television.
France, Germany to back Ukraine pact despite Dutch ‘No’: Hollande
METZ, France (Reuters) – France and Germany will continue to back an EU agreement on closer ties with Ukraine, French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday after Dutch voters rejected the pact in a referendum.
Khartoum sentences 22 South Sudanese, three others to death
CAIRO (Reuters) – An anti-terrorism court in Khartoum has sentenced 22 South Sudanese nationals to death and three others to life in prison on Wednesday for belonging to a militant group in Darfur.
Syrian state TV says 300 workers kidnapped by Islamic State
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State fighters have kidnapped 300 cement workers in an area northeast of Damascus where the militants launched an assault against government forces this week, Syrian state television said on Thursday.
With demolitions, Israel tightens squeeze on West Bank Palestinians
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – In the past three months, the Israeli military has more than tripled its demolitions of Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank, United Nations’ figures show, raising alarm among diplomats and human rights groups over wha…
Czech government ends program to take in Iraqi Christians
PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech Republic will halt a program to take in 153 Christian refugees from Iraq after some of those who have arrived tried to move to Germany and others returned home, Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said on Thursday.
