Israel says not convinced by ‘logic’ of French peace initiative
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel said it was struggling to “understand the logic” of a French peace initiative favored by the Palestinians after Israeli foreign ministry officials met with a French envoy in Jerusalem on Monday.
Slovak PM Fico says closer to forming coalition government
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) – Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he believed he could agree on the priorities of a new governing program with three other parties by Tuesday after starting coalition talks.
‘You know who you are’: U.N. chief points finger at nations with no women lawmakers
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The handful of countries that have yet to see a woman in parliament or cabinet must act quickly to bring women into politics, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said at a summit focusing on women on Monday.
Putin says Russians will start withdrawing from Syria, as peace talks resume
MOSCOW/GENEVA (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin said on Monday Russian armed forces would begin pulling out of Syria and instructed his diplomats to step up the push for peace, as U.N.-mediated talks resumed in Geneva on ending the five-year war.
U.S. sailor arrested in Okinawa for suspected rape
TOKYO (Reuters) – A U.S. serviceman stationed in Japan’s southern island of Okinawa has been arrested on suspicion of raping a woman, Japanese police said on Monday, likely adding to complications for a controversial plan to relocate a U.S. base on the…
Venezuela says four bodies found are among 21 missing from massacre
CARACAS (Reuters) – Investigators have found the remains of four people presumed to be among 21 miners missing over a week ago after a massacre near a gold mine in Venezuela’s violent southern jungle, the chief prosecutor said on Monday.
Turkish warplanes strike Iraq after Ankara bombing blamed on Kurdish militants
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish militant camps in northern Iraq on Monday, a day after 37 people were killed in an Ankara car bombing that security officials said involved two fighters – one female – from the Kurdistan Workers Party…
Mauritania commits to ending modern-day slavery
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Mauritania has vowed to ramp up its fight against slavery, becoming the second African country to approve a United Nations treaty designed to give countries the legal muscle to combat forced labor and trafficking.
French government retreats on labour reform bill
PARIS (Reuters) – French Prime Minister Manuel Valls retreated on one of the central planks of the government’s labour reform bill on Monday after protests against the measures, dividing unions and angering business leaders.
Myanmar military questions Suu Kyi picks ahead of presidential vote
NAYPYITAW (Reuters) – Myanmar’s powerful military questioned Aung San Suu Kyi’s picks for president and vice president on Monday as tension simmered between the two sides a day before parliament votes on who should get the top job.
