Assad makes rare visit to church in Damascus frontline
DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al Assad attended Christmas choir preparations in an ancient church close to a frontline area in the capital Damascus where his army is engaged in heavy fighting with rebels, state media said on Saturday.
Rwandans approve extension of presidential term limits
KIGALI (Reuters) – Rwandans voted overwhelmingly to support changes to the constitution that would allow President Paul Kagame to extend his term in office, possibly until 2034, provisional results showed on Saturday.
Uganda to resume mediating Burundi peace talks after violence escalates
KAMPALA (Reuters) – Uganda said on Saturday it would resume mediating a peace process in Burundi after worsening violence that has pushed the Central African country close to civil war and led the African Union to propose a peace keeping force. Burundi…
Far above Sweden’s Arctic Circle, a ski resort hosts refugees
RIKSGRANSEN, Sweden (Reuters) – Far above Sweden’s Arctic Circle, two dozen refugees stepped off a night train onto a desolate, snow-covered platform, their Middle Eastern odyssey abruptly ending at a hotel touted as the world’s most northerly ski reso…
Far above Sweden’s Arctic Circle, a ski resort hosts refugees
RIKSGRANSEN, Sweden (Reuters) – Far above Sweden’s Arctic Circle, two dozen refugees stepped off a night train onto a desolate, snow-covered platform, their Middle Eastern odyssey abruptly ending at a hotel touted as the world’s most northerly ski reso…
Eighteen migrants drown after boat sinks off Turkey’s southwestern coast
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Eighteen people died and 14 were rescued late on Friday after a boat carrying migrants trying to sail to Greece sank off the southern Turkish town of Bodrum, Dogan News Agency reported.
Seychelles president re-elected, opposition cries foul
VICTORIA (Reuters) – Incumbent James Michel won the run-off vote in Seychelles’ presidential election, after securing 50.2 percent of votes cast, the election commission said on Saturday, while the opposition cried foul over irregularities.
U.S. studying Chinese complaint that B-52 flew near man-made island
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon said on Friday it was looking at Chinese complaints that a B-52 bomber recently flew near a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea, a sensitive issue because the two powers disagree over Beijing’s territori…
Indonesia to deploy 150,000 security personnel for year-end celebrations
CILANGKAP, Indonesia (Reuters) – Indonesia will deploy more than 150,000 security personnel and several religious organizations to safeguard churches and public places around the country during Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, the military ch…
Number of global migrants rises dramatically, especially in Asia: U.N.
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The number of international migrants soared to 244 million this year, an increase of more than 40 percent from the year 2000, as economic need, global markets and a desire for better lives put more people on the …
