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.
Southeast Asian countries retract statement expressing concerns on South China Sea
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Southeast Asian countries withdrew a statement that expressed the region’s deep concerns over tension in the South China Sea, where China is involved in protracted territorial disputes with some of its neighbors.
China says Dalai Lama-Obama meeting will damage bilateral ties
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has lodged diplomatic representations with the United States over a planned meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama at the White House on Wednesday saying it would damage Chinese-U.S. ties, the Foreign M…
