Aid groups urge halt of Turkey returns, Greek detentions under migration deal
ISTANBUL/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Deportations of refugees and migrants to Turkey and the detention of asylum-seekers on Greek islands must stop, three aid groups said on Friday, citing fears for human rights raised by an EU-Turkey deal to curb an influx o…
Serbia arrests 49 in anti-corruption sweep
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbian police detained 49 people, including officials from ministries and state-owned firms, on suspicion of corruption and abuse of office on Friday as part of an anti-graft drive that has gained momentum before this month’s elec…
Fallen Russian soldier’s family mourns with medal, and questions
PALTSO, Russia (Reuters) – The 27-year-old Russian special forces officer smiles out of the picture in a flak jacket and camouflage hat. The last photo of Fyodor Zhuravlyov was taken in Syria, where he was deployed on a clandestine mission. At least hi…
British royals hike to mountain monastery in Bhutan
PARO VALLEY, Bhutan (Reuters) – Britain’s Duke and Duchess of Cambridge trekked on Friday to a Buddhist monastery on a mountainside in Bhutan, going one better than the duke’s father, Prince Charles, who on a 1998 trip broke off his hike to paint a wat…
Pakistani forces struggle to capture gangsters’ island stronghold
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistani forces battled on Friday to dislodge a criminal gang holding 24 hostages from its island hideout in the prosperous province of Punjab, with a top regional official saying it had at most 48 hours in which…
Air raids intensify in Syria’s Homs, prayers canceled: doctor, monitors
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian government air strikes hit rebel-held areas north of the city of Homs for a second day, forcing authorities to cancel Friday prayers for the first time in six months, monitors and a doctor there said.
Belgium sets May 9 trial date over foiled Islamic State plot
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgian judges on Friday set a May 9 trial date for three men accused of plotting Islamic State attacks that were foiled by a police raid in the town of Verviers last year in which two men died in a gunbattle.
Pope, Orthodox leaders to visit Greek front line of refugee crisis
LESBOS, Greece/VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis and the spiritual head of the world’s Orthodox Christians will set aside centuries of dispute on Saturday when they visit a Greek island on the front line of Europe’s migrant crisis to highlight the …
Wartime Jewish remains buried in Hungary, a reminder of dark past
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Miklos Heisler was 17 when the Arrow Cross Party took power in Hungary in the final years of World War Two and began a short reign of terror in which thousands of Jews, previously spared from deportation, were killed in Budapest.
Aftershocks rattle southwestern Japan after quake kills nine
TOKYO (Reuters) – Aftershocks rattled southwestern Japan on Friday after a strong quake the night before killed nine people, injured at least 1,000 and cut power and water across the region, forcing the temporary shutdown of several auto and electronic…
