Kerry accuses Russia, Assad over Syrian government assault on Aleppo
FINSTADJORDET, Norway (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia of selectively enforcing a nationwide “cessation of hostilities” agreement in Syria while a government campaign to ret…
UK’s Osborne faces rebellion over Brexit emergency budget
ASHFORD, England (Reuters) – Finance minister George Osborne said on Wednesday he would introduce an emergency budget if Britain voted to leave the European Union, but 57 of his own Conservative Party’s lawmakers said they would block his spending cuts…
Escalation in violence locks out aid, food for rebel-held parts of Aleppo: NGOs
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Aid has been cut from rebel-held areas of Aleppo for the longest period since the Syrian civil war began due to an escalation in air strikes and bombardments, driving up food prices and choking efforts to ease the plight of residents…
Falluja abuses hard to prevent, not systematic: Iraqi minister
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s interior minister said it was difficult to prevent attacks against people fleeing the Islamic State-held city of Falluja, but denied that such actions were systematic and pledged to punish anyone proven guilty of abuses.
Belgian police alerted to IS fighters en route to Europe
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgian police have received an anti-terror alert warning that a group of Islamic State fighters recently left Syria en route for Europe planning attacks in Belgium and France, a Belgian security source said on Wednesday.
Philippine general urges martial law to rein in southern militants
MANILA (Reuters) – A senior Philippine army general on Wednesday resumed a push for martial law to be imposed on a troubled southern island where Islamist militants beheaded a Canadian captive, despite a recent decision by President Benigno Aquino not…
Islamophobia on the rise in Germany: study
BERLIN (Reuters) – Islamophobia has risen markedly in Germany, a study published on Wednesday showed, underscoring the tensions simmering in German society after more than one million migrants, mostly Muslims, arrived last year.
NATO says Ukraine ceasefire barely holding, scolds Russia
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Russia is violating an internationally-agreed ceasefire in Ukraine “again and again”, NATO’s chief said on Wednesday, accusing Moscow of continuing to arm separatists in the conflict at the center of East-West tensions.
Son, wife of China’s former domestic security tsar jailed for graft
BEIJING (Reuters) – The son and wife of former Chinese domestic security tsar Zhou Yongkang have been jailed for corruption, state media said on Wednesday, the latest high-profile figures to be felled in President Xi Jinping’s anti-graft campaign.
Damascus says German special forces in Syria, Germany denies
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian government said on Wednesday that German special forces were present, alongside French and American military personnel, in northern Syria, an accusation denied by Germany.
