Syria war parties to agree on U.N. basic principles in ‘baby step’
GENEVA (Reuters) – Syrian government and opposition parties at peace talks in Geneva are expected to agree on Thursday to a document drawn up by a U.N. special envoy outlining basic principles in what one diplomat described as a “baby step” forward.
Turkish warplanes strike PKK targets in northern Iraq: military
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish warplanes bombed and destroyed nearly a dozen targets belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq late on Wednesday, the armed forces said, the latest operations targeting insurgent camps near the Turkish …
Hundreds gather in France to mark Germanwings crash anniversary
LE VERNET, France (Reuters) – Hundreds of people gathered in a tiny village in southern France on Thursday to remember the victims of the Germanwings plane crash one year ago.
Obama to host China’s President Xi on March 31: White House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama will host Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 31 for a bilateral meeting alongside the Nuclear Security Summit, the White House said on Thursday.
Russia endorses U.S.-Cuba thaw, but says more work to do
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it supported the new dialogue between the United States and Cuba, but said Washington should abolish all its sanctions on Cuba.
Malaysia arrests 15 for suspected links to Islamic State
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian authorities have arrested 15 people, including a police officer, suspected of links to Islamic State and of planning an attack in the country, the police chief said on Thursday.
Kerry tells Russia he wants further reduction in Syria violence
MOSCOW (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in Moscow on Thursday a fragile partial truce in Syria had reduced levels of violence there, but that he wanted to see a further reduction as well as greater flows of humanitarian aid.
Hong Kong bookseller returns from China after three-month absence
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A missing Hong Kong bookseller who published books critical of China’s leaders returned to the financial hub on Thursday after a three-month absence and said again he hadn’t been kidnapped, the government said in a statement.
Bulgaria angered by U.S. embassy warning of threat to Sofia buses
SOFIA (Reuters) – The Bulgarian government on Thursday angrily dismissed a U.S. Embassy warning to its citizens to avoid a busy transport hub in the capital because of a potential threat against buses.
Vietnam vexed over Taiwan’s ‘worthless’ media trip to island
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam rebuked Taiwan on Thursday for taking journalists to a disputed South China Sea island, saying the trip was “illegal and worthless” and against the international community’s wishes.
