Saudi Arabia, Houthis swap prisoners, raising hopes of peace talks
CAIRO/RIYADH (Reuters) – A Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Wednesday it had exchanged prisoners with its Houthi opponents and also welcomed a pause in combat on the border, prompting hopes of a push to end the year-long war that has kille…
Syria opposition sees fewer truce breaches, U.N. prepares talks
BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) – The Syrian opposition said on Wednesday there had been fewer breaches of a truce agreement by the government and its allies in the past day as a U.N. envoy unveiled plans to resume peace talks next week.
Captured Ukrainian pilot defies Russian judge at end of trial
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Ukrainian pilot held in Russia over the death of two Russian journalists during separatist fighting in eastern Ukraine climbed onto a table and flashed an obscene gesture at a judge at the end of her trial on Wednesday.
North Korea’s Kim says country has miniaturized nuclear warheads
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country has miniaturized nuclear warheads to mount on ballistic missiles and ordered improvements in the power and precision of its arsenal, state media reported on Wednesday.
German defense minister cleared of plagiarism accusations
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, was cleared on Wednesday of accusations of plagiarism in her doctoral thesis, the president of her former university said.
Italy arrests Somali cleric over alleged plans for Rome attack
ROME (Reuters) – Police in southern Italy arrested a 22-year-old Somali imam and asylum seeker on Wednesday on suspicion that he was planning an attack in Rome.
Saudi says set on Yemen political solution, Syria’s Assad must go
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia is committed to a political solution to Yemen’s war under U.N.-backed peace efforts and sees as positive a call by a Houthi official for Iran to stay out of Yemen, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Wednesday….
Merkel’s Turkish gamble: breakthrough or landmine in migrant crisis?
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – For the second time since Europe’s migration crisis began last year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stunned her European Union partners by staking her political capital on a unilateral initiative and demanding their support.
Exclusive: African Union considers Mali counter-terrorism force
DAKAR (Reuters) – The African Union will send a mission to northern Mali in the next few weeks to look into setting up a counter-terrorism force to support vulnerable U.N. peacekeepers, sources familiar with the matter said.
Turkey’s bid to lift immunity of pro-Kurdish MPs gathers pace
ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s prime minister applied to parliament on Wednesday to lift the immunity of senior pro-Kurdish opposition deputies to prosecute them on charges of belonging to an armed terrorist group.
