Belfast bomb injures prison officer; police call threat ‘severe’
BELFAST (Reuters) – A prison officer was injured by a bomb which exploded under his van in Belfast on Friday, police said, warning of a “severe” threat to security forces as the centenary approaches of the 1916 anti-British Easter Rising.
Landmark Pakistan women’s protection bill challenged in sharia court
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A prominent Pakistani lawyer has filed a petition in the top sharia court seeking that it strike down a new law that gives unprecedented protection to female victims of violence.
China’s 2016 defense budget to slow in line with economy
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s defense budget this year is likely to rise at its slowest pace since 2010, in line with the decelerating economy and by a much lower figure than had been expected in military and diplomatic circles.
Europe leaders tell Putin Syria truce must hold to spur peace talks: Cameron
LONDON (Reuters) – European leaders told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that a fragile truce in Syria must be used to try to secure a lasting peace without President Bashar al-Assad, the spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron …
Seawater pipeline attack heralds fresh trouble in Nigeria’s Delta
LAGOS (Reuters) – A sophisticated attack on a sub-sea pipeline in Nigeria’s Delta might herald a return to the kind of widespread militant violence that crippled the oil industry in Africa’s top producer less than a decade ago.
Malaysia’s Mahathir joins with old enemies, including Anwar, to push out PM
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad on Friday joined hands with long-standing foes, including the party of the jailed Anwar Ibrahim, to crank up pressure on scandal-plagued Prime Minister Najib Razak to quit, marking a sei…
Irish PM’s party will only lead minority government if stability assured
DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael party will only seek to form a minority government if it can strike a deal that ensures smaller parties or its arch rival will not bring it down within months, a senior minister said on Fri…
France, Britain, Germany urge Syrian opposition to attend peace talks
PARIS (Reuters) – The foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany called on the main Syrian opposition to attend inter Syrian peace talks due to begin next week, but warned that the negotiations would only succeed if humanitarian access was grante…
Serbia’s president calls parliamentary vote for April 24
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbia’s President Tomislav Nikolic called an early parliamentary election for April 24 after the government said it needed a stronger mandate to push through economic reforms and complete EU accession talks.
Egypt’s poorest struggle to find rice amid hoarding
ABU DHABI/CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt has more rice than it needs but little available for those who need it most.
