President says Portugal must respect EU, avoid return to crisis
LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal’s new center-right president took office on Wednesday, telling the Socialist government to stick to the budget rigor demanded by Brussels to avoid a return to economic crisis.
Macedonia closes border to illegal migrants: police official
SKOPJE (Reuters) – Macedonia has closed its border completely to illegal migrants after Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia announced tight new restrictions on migrant entry, a police official said on Wednesday.
U.S.-led coalition conducts 17 strikes on Islamic State in Iraq, Syria
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies targeted Islamic State with 17 strikes in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, the U.S.-led coalition said in a statement on Wednesday.
Cuba issues bristling editorial ahead of Obama visit
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba said it would welcome President Barack Obama to Havana later this month, but the Communist government had no intention of changing its policies in exchange for normal relations with the United States.
Europe’s deal with Turkey fails to deter migrant attempts for now
DIDIM, Turkey (Reuters) – Turkey’s coastguard intercepted dozens of mostly Syrian migrants in coves along the Aegean coast on Wednesday as they continued to attempt perilous sea crossings to Greece despite Ankara’s efforts to stem the flow under a deal…
Low turnout as French students, unions march against labor reform
PARIS (Reuters) – French students and trade unions staged protest marches across the country on Wednesday against far-reaching labor reforms, testing President Francois Hollande’s mettle as he tries to lower an unemployment rate still above 10 percent….
Iraqi Kurdish oil pipeline could reopen soon: sources
ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey has partly completed a military campaign near its southeastern border, raising hopes an idled Iraqi oil pipeline nearby could soon reopen after a three-week outage that has squeezed the already cash-strapped Kurdistan…
Europe steps back in time to revive Iran ties
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A few months after U.S. President George W. Bush branded Iran part of an “axis of evil” in 2002, the European Union took a different tack and started talks with Tehran to increase economic ties, hoping that business would help rapp…
Slovak PM Fico given 10 days to form a government
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) – Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Wednesday he had been given until the end of next week to form a government following a weekend election in which his party won the most votes but lost its parliamentary majority.
Biden gives nod to Israeli demands in talks on U.S. defense aid
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s regional military clout should be preserved in terms of the quantity as well as the quality of its weaponry, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday in a nod to Israeli requests in defense aid negotiations with Wa…
