Syrian President Assad’s mother dies aged 86: state media
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s mother, Anisa Makhlouf, has died at the age of 86, Syrian state media said on Saturday.
Austria threatens to extend border controls: newspaper
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austria will extend its border controls if Turkey does not take back refugees picked up at sea on their way to Greece, Chancellor Werner Faymann said in an interview with the daily Oesterreich, being published on Sunday.
Haiti set to form transitional government to fill power vacuum
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Haiti’s outgoing President Michel Martelly has reached an agreement with parliament to form a caretaker government when he leaves power this weekend without an elected successor, in a step that could calm violent protests roc…
Five Czechs killed as huge Austrian avalanche buries 17
VIENNA (Reuters) – Five Czech skiers were killed in a huge avalanche that swept away their group of 17 in the Austrian skiing region of Tyrol on Saturday, police said.
Dutch ‘no’ on Ukraine pact would force rethink, minister says
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch government would be obliged to reconsider its position on an EU pact establishing closer ties with Ukraine if it loses an upcoming referendum on the issue, the country’s foreign minister said, but he stopped short of say…
El Salvador detains ex-soldiers for 1989 Jesuit priest killings
SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – El Salvador said on Saturday it had detained four former soldiers accused of killing six Jesuit priests during the country’s civil war, and would keep searching for 12 other suspects who remain at large.
Nations aim for Afghan peace talks with Taliban by end-February
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Officials from the four nations seeking to end Afghanistan’s 15-year-old war agreed on Saturday to press for direct talks between Taliban groups and the U.S.-backed government in Kabul by the end of the month.
Iraqi PM rejects idea of building security wall around Baghdad
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday dismissed plans announced by the military this week to build a concrete wall around Baghdad in a bid to prevent attacks by Islamic State militants.
Stade de France reopens for first time since Paris attacks
PARIS (Reuters) – Under tight security and in the presence of French President Francois Hollande, the Stade de France opened its gates on Saturday for the first time since the stadium was targeted in the deadly attacks which struck Paris in November.
Hundreds more candidates allowed to contest Iran election
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s powerful election vetting body, the Guardian Council, decided on Saturday to allow hundreds more candidates to take part in a parliamentary election this month, in a move that rekindled the hopes of reformists and moderates.
