U.S. ‘deeply disappointed’ Rwandan president will seek third term
KIGALI (Reuters) – The United States is “deeply disappointed” by Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s New Year’s announcement that he would seek a third term in 2017, according to the U.S. State Department.
Erdogan backs criminal probe into Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said he backs a criminal investigation into leaders of the pro-Kurdish opposition over comments about Kurdish self-rule, saying those who committed constitutional crimes must pay the price.
Helicopter crash kills three Afghan air crew
KABUL (Reuters) – An Afghan Mi-17 military helicopter crashed on Sunday after a technical failure during a training exercise, killing three air crew and wounding another in Logar province, south of the capital Kabul, the Defence Ministry said.
Refugee crisis could shake up German political landscape in 2016
BERLIN (Reuters) – For the past decade, German politics has been a relatively dull affair, with Angela Merkel dominating at the national level and the major parties in agreement on all the big issues, from euro zone bailouts and refugees to the phase-o…
Syrian rebel group says exits Islamist alliance to refocus fight
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Syrian insurgent group said on Sunday it was pulling out of a coalition of Islamist factions operating in the northwest of the country, in order to redeploy around Aleppo where pro-government forces have intensified assaults in rec…
Attack on Iraqi military base kills at least 15: sources
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Attacks by five suicide bombers on an Iraqi military base north of Baghdad on Sunday killed at least 15 members of the security forces and wounded 22 others, security sources said.
Gunfire, blasts at Indian air base, two militants still at large: TV
PATHANKOT, India (Reuters) – Gunfire and blasts were heard on Sunday at an Indian Air Force base that was attacked by militants a day earlier, and TV channels reported two gunmen were still at large in the sprawling facility near the border with Pakist…
Cuba’s Santeria priests predict explosive migration, social unrest in 2016
HAVANA (Reuters) – Priests offering New Year’s prophecies from Cuba’s Afro-Cuban religion forecast an explosion in migration and social unrest worldwide in 2016.
Shi’ite cleric among 47 executed in Saudi Arabia, stirring anger in region
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi’ite Muslim cleric and dozens of al Qaeda members on Saturday, signaling that it would not tolerate attacks, whether by Sunni jihadists or minority Shi’ites, and stirring sectarian anger across th…
Vietnam protests after China lands plane on disputed Spratlys
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam formally accused China of violating its sovereignty and a recent confidence-building pact on Saturday by landing a plane on an airstrip Beijing has built on an artificial island in a contested part of the South China Sea.
