Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish militant targets in Iraq: Anadolu
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish warplanes conducted air strikes on Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq on Wednesday, destroying caves and shelters used by the rebels, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.
Venezuela decrees Fridays a holiday to ease energy crisis
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has decreed that all Fridays for the next two months will be holidays, in a bid to save energy in the blackout-hit OPEC country.
Earthquake of 7 magnitude strikes northwest of Vanuatu: USGS
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – An earthquake of 7 magnitude struck 191 km (118 miles) northwest of the Pacific island of Vanuatu on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Vietnam gets new PM with tough task and big shoes to fill
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam’s parliament approved a new prime minister on Thursday, handing former bureaucrat and legislator Nguyen Xuan Phuc the challenge of maintaining the momentum of one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.
China pushes Marxism for party members to root out wrongdoing
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s ruling Communist Party has begun a year-long campaign to reassert the importance of Marxism and ensure members’ ideological “consistency” to root out bad behavior, state media reported.
Turkey, Germany herald progress as migrant flow to Greece slows
ATHENS/DIKILI, Turkey (Reuters) – Turkey and Germany said on Wednesday an agreement between Ankara and the EU meant to stem the flow of migrants to the Greek islands was showing signs of success, but many were still trying to cross the sea and the rout…
Brazil congressional report favors impeaching President Rousseff
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff moved closer to impeachment when a key member of a Congressional committee said on Wednesday there were grounds for the Senate to put her on trial for manipulating budget accounts in 2014 to boost…
Dutch ‘No’ to Ukraine pact forces government rethink
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch government said on Wednesday it could not ignore the resounding “No” in a non-binding referendum on the European Union’s association treaty with Ukraine, but that it may take weeks to decide how to respond.
Iceland government appoints new PM, to call early elections
REYKJAVIK (Reuters) – Iceland’s government named a new prime minister and called for early elections in the autumn on Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson quit to become the first global politician brought down by the “Pan…
Islamic State nets millions from antiquities: Russia
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq are netting between $150 million and $200 million a year from illicit trade in plundered antiquities, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations said in a letter released on Wednesday….
