Afghan lawmakers confirm key government posts amid infighting
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan lawmakers approved government nominees as interior minister and attorney general on Saturday, offering a boost to a struggling administration that has been undermined by infighting since it was formed following a disputed elect…
Lebanon to decide ‘soon’ on fate of Australian film crew
(Reuters) – Lebanese authorities are expected to decide soon on whether a four-member Australian film crew will face charges in connection with a plot to kidnap two children in a child-custody dispute, Australia’s foreign minister said on Saturday.
Five migrants drown off Greek island of Samos after boat capsizes
ATHENS (Reuters) – Five migrants – four women and one child – drowned when their boat capsized off the Greek island of Samos close to Turkey’s coast, Greek coast guard officials said on Saturday.
Djibouti incumbent president Guelleh wins: provisional results
DJIBOUTI (Reuters) – Ismail Omar Guelleh won a fourth five-year term as Djibouti’s president in an election on Friday, securing 87 percent of the votes cast, provisional results announced by Interior Minister Hassan Omar on Saturday showed.
Vietnam government sees new faces but policy shift unlikely
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam completed a protracted leadership transition on Saturday, with 21 new faces in a cabinet tasked with reforming an economy seeing galloping growth but dogged by privatization and public debt problems.
Archbishop of Canterbury learns his father was Churchill’s secretary
LONDON (Reuters) – The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has discovered his biological father was the former private secretary to Britain’s war-time leader Winston Churchill, he said in a statement on Friday.
Panama not planning to retaliate over French move on Panama Papers
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – Panama will focus on diplomacy with France following a standoff over a mass data leak dubbed the “Panama Papers,” President Juan Carlos Varela said after speaking with his French counterpart Francois Hollande.
Race for run-off spot heats up ahead of Peru election
LIMA (Reuters) – The race for second place in the first round of Peru’s presidential election on Sunday was still wide open on Friday, with polls split over who would earn the chance to face long-time front-runner Keiko Fujimori in an expected run-off….
Kerry urges Iraq not to let politics impede war against IS
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, visiting Baghdad on Friday, urged Iraq not to let its political crisis interfere with the fight against Islamic State and voiced unequivocal support for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
Syria’s Assad shows no willingness to compromise
CAIRO (Reuters)- – As the Syria peace talks resume next week, President Bashar al-Assad, backed militarily by Iran and Russia, shows no willingness to compromise, much less step aside to allow a transition Western powers claim is the solution to the co…
