Three killed in bombing claimed by Islamic State in northeast Syria
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A bomb attack claimed by Islamic State killed at least three people in the city of Qamishli in the mostly Kurdish-controlled Hasaka province of northeast Syria on Sunday, a Kurdish official and a monitoring group said.
No special status for east Ukraine without ceasefire: president
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine will not give its eastern regions greater autonomy until a lasting ceasefire with pro-Russian separatist rebels is in place, President Petro Poroshenko said on Sunday, in comments that could antagonize the rebels and the Kremli…
Iraq summons Saudi envoy over comments on Iran-backed militias
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq summoned the new Saudi ambassador on Sunday after he suggested Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias were exacerbating sectarian tensions and should leave the fight against Islamic State to the Iraqi army and official security forces…
Merkel’s party, sliding in polls, weighs German ‘border centres’
BERLIN (Reuters) – A senior figure in German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party has proposed setting up “border centres” along the frontier with Austria to speed up the repatriation of those asylum seekers deemed unqualified to stay.
Netanyahu seeks to return Israeli army-evicted settlers to West Bank houses
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would allow Jewish settlers evicted by the Israeli army from two houses in the West Bank city of Hebron to return once proper permits were in place.
Sanctions lifted, Iran’s Rouhani heads to Europe to drum up business
PARIS/ROME (Reuters) – President Hassan Rouhani brings the case to Europe this week for Iran as a potential investment bonanza, after the lifting of financial sanctions brought his country of 80 million people back into the world of global commerce.
Hong Kong police arrest Chinese suspect in L.A. double murder
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong police said on Sunday they had arrested a Chinese national sought by U.S. authorities on suspicion of murdering two people and attempting to murder a third person in Los Angeles.
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition will join work on new constitution
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said on Sunday it would take part in a parliamentary commission charged with drafting a new constitution and would challenge the ruling AK Party’s plans for a strong executive pres…
Former spy seeks to show UK knew of Guantanamo torture: Sunday Times
LONDON (Reuters) – A former senior British intelligence officer wants to give evidence that the country’s security services knew about the torture of inmates at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, a newspaper reported.
Germany’s Schaeuble wants to foster Mideast strategy with Russia
BERLIN (Reuters) – Europe needs to make a greater contribution to stabilizing the Middle East and should think about developing a joint strategy with Russia to reduce tensions between regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia, German Finance Minister Wolfg…
