Libya’s Haftar says won’t work with unity government until militias disbanded
PARIS (Reuters) – It would be “unthinkable” for eastern Libyan forces to join a U.N.-backed unity government until militias aligned to it have been disbanded, General Khalifa Haftar, who heads up troops in the east, said in an interview broadcast on Fr…
Congolese activists jailed for incitement, U.N. ‘very worried’
KINSHASA (Reuters) – Three Congolese activists, arrested hours before a general strike in February to demand that President Joseph Kabila leave power when his mandate expires this year, were sentenced on Friday to one year in prison, the United Nations…
U.S. says no agreement on joint air strikes with Russia in Syria
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – There is no agreement between the United States and Russia to conduct joint air strikes in Syria, the U.S. State Department said on Friday, adding that it looked to Russia to stop truce violations by the Syrian government.
Rousseff’s trial to run on during summer Olympics in Brazil
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil will welcome the world to the summer Olympics with suspended President Dilma Rousseff still on trial for breaking budget rules, government sources said on Friday, despite the interim government’s efforts to fast-track the pr…
Turkish parliament strips MPs of immunity in blow to Kurdish opposition
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s parliament on Friday approved stripping its members of immunity from prosecution, a move likely to see the pro-Kurdish opposition sidelined, ease President Tayyip Erdogan’s path to stronger powers, and raise concern among We…
Phone polls skewed toward “In” ahead of Britain’s EU referendum: YouGov
LONDON (Reuters) – British pollster YouGov said on Friday that online polls were doing a better job than phone polls of finding representative samples of voters before a referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union.
Paris attacks suspect refuses to speak at French hearing
PARIS (Reuters) – The man prosecutors believe is the sole survivor of the Islamist group that attacked Paris last November appeared before a French investigating judge on Friday, but refused to say anything about the assault in which 130 people were ki…
Migrants test ‘closed’ Balkan borders to chase European dream
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Fifty young men line up in a Belgrade park where aid workers hand them supplies for the journey ahead – a backpack each, containing a torch, phone and blanket.
NATO may rely on five battalions to deter Russia, Britain says
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO’s build-up in eastern Europe could include up to 3,500 troops, Britain said on Friday, stressing that the planned deployments would not be aggressive toward Russia.
Israel defense chief quits, warns of “extremist” rise under Netanyahu
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s defense minister resigned on Friday, saying the nation was being taken over by “extremist and dangerous elements” after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved to replace him with a far-right politician in an effort to st…
