Merkel risks bruising in crunch German votes
BERLIN (Reuters) – Isolated in Europe, Chancellor Angela Merkel faces a big test at home on Sunday when three German states vote in elections that risk eroding her base and undermining the migrant policy on which she has staked her legacy.
Seven Kurdish militants killed in clash in southeast: sources
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Seven Kurdish militants were killed in a gun battle in southeast Turkey’s largest city Diyarbakir on Thursday, security sources said, a day after security forces declared an end to operations there.
Congo activists urge government to pass new mining code
KINSHASA (Reuters) – Activist groups in Democratic Republic of Congo urged the government on Thursday to revive plans for a new mining code, saying the higher revenues it would generate were vital to supporting a young democracy.
Myanmar’s NLD names Suu Kyi confidant as presidential candidate
NAYPYITAW (Reuters) – Myanmar’s National League for Democracy (NLD) proposed a close friend of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as its presidential candidate on Thursday, ending a four-month wait for the identity of the president expected to rule in her…
West Bank teachers’ strike leaves 500,000 children at home for weeks
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – For a month, more than 25,000 teachers in the West Bank have been on strike over pay and benefits, causing chaos for schools, pupils and parents, and prompting the Palestinian Authority to deploy military police on the s…
Brazil reform agenda to hinge on political crisis: minister
BRASILIA (Reuters) – The Brazilian government will monitor political tensions before deciding whether to move ahead with a controversial bill to reform Brazil’s pension system in April, Pension and Labor Minister Miguel Rossetto told Reuters.
Refugee crisis creating ‘significant problems’ for Greek economy: OECD
ATHENS (Reuters) – Europe’s refugee crisis is posing risks for the Greek economy and the debt-laden country needs substantial help to deal with the migratory flows, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Thursday.
U.S., allies stage 20 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies conducted 20 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, the coalition leading the operation said.
Russia has signaled closure of U.N. rights office in Moscow: Zeid
GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday that the Russian government had indicated it would close his Moscow office, and he decried what he called the shrinking space for dissent.
Serb nationalist defies U.N. war crimes court, burns EU, NATO flags
BELGRADE (Reuters) – A Serbian ultra-nationalist who is resisting an order from a U.N. court to return to The Hague to hear the verdict in his war crimes trial flaunted his defiance on Thursday by holding up burning EU and NATO flags outside a Belgrade…
