Waste fears as Afghan soldiers cash in on spent ammo
KABUL (Reuters) – Zahir Jan, a scrap metal dealer in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, pays about 175 Afghani ($2.55) per kilo of spent cartridge casings and has no trouble finding supplies from poorly paid soldiers and policemen looking for ext…
U.N. memo questions Britain’s Security Council veto power
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – United Nations officials have questioned if Britain is worthy of being a veto-power on the Security Council after the country withdrew police officers from a peacekeeping mission in South Sudan during recent violence without …
On anniversary, U.S. and Cuba cite progress toward closer ties
HAVANA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Marking the one-year anniversary of the renewal of U.S.-Cuban diplomatic ties, the former Cold War foes said on Wednesday they were working hard on further deepening their detente this year, as the clock ticks down on the …
China upset by U.S. Republican platform on South China Sea, Tibet
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday urged the U.S. Republican Party to stop making “groundless accusations” against China in its party platform, which says China practices cultural genocide in Tibet and has ludicrous claims in the …
In Germany, May seeks to reassure on Brexit, warned over ‘limbo’
BERLIN (Reuters) – Prime Minister Theresa May sought to reassure Germany on Wednesday over Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, stressing her desire to deepen ties with neighboring countries in her first foreign visit as leader.
Syrian rebel group investigates beheading of child seen in video
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Syrian rebel group that has received U.S. military backing said it is investigating the beheading of a child in Aleppo after video footage circulated showing the boy being killed by a man who activists identified as a member of the…
U.S. blacklists three al Qaeda members living in Iran
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Wednesday blacklisted three members of al Qaeda living in Iran, saying they had helped the Islamist militant group on the battlefield, with finance and logistics, and in mediating with Iranian authorities.
Argentina’s spy agency regroups, wins back power under Macri
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – A little over a year since Argentina’s spy agency was shackled in the wake of the mysterious death of a star prosecutor, President Mauricio Macri is backing its quest for broader powers that critics fear will revive unfettered …
Gambia sentences lawyer, 18 others to three years for ‘unlawful assembly’
DAKAR (Reuters) – Gambia sentenced a prominent lawyer and 18 of his supporters to three years in jail on Wednesday for “unlawful assembly” and for holding a protest without a permit, a court document reviewed by Reuters showed.
French lawmakers extend state of emergency after Nice attack
PARIS (Reuters) – French lawmakers approved a six-month extension of emergency rule on Wednesday after last week’s truck attack on holiday crowds in Nice, the third deadly assault in just 18 months for which Islamist militants have claimed responsibili…
