Kerry says progress made in Saudi-led talks with Syrian opposition
PARIS (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday that Saudi-led talks to try to unite Syrian opposition groups had made progress, an important step for advancing political talks on ending the Syrian conflict.
Ex-Rwandan mayor, wanted for genocide, arrested in eastern Congo
KINSHASA (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo has arrested a former mayor accused of orchestrating a massacre that killed tens of thousands of people during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, the head of Congo’s military intelligence said on Thursday.
As hate speech fears grow, Kenya sets 2017 elections date
NAIROBI (Reuters) – A rise in ethnically charged “hate speech” threatens the electoral process in Kenya, but the country still plans to hold the 2017 presidential and parliamentary elections on Aug. 8, the electoral commission said on Thursday.
Spanish PM promises tax cuts for pensioners if he wins election
MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Thursday he would lower income tax for pensioners who remained in the workforce, part of efforts to shore up his elderly political base 10 days before a hotly-contested election.
Ukraine says breaks up armed insurgent group in Kiev, two killed
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s security service said on Thursday it had broken up an armed insurgent group that operated out of Kiev and other major Ukrainian cities and that two people had been killed during the operation.
Russia says Turkey’s accusations of ethnic cleansing in Syria groundless
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Thursday that accusations by Turkey of Moscow allegedly conducting ethnic cleansing in Syria are “groundless”.
China rebuffs criticism from U.N. after torture report
BEIJING (Reuters) – China on Thursday rejected a call from a United Nations rights watchdog to halt torture of detainees, saying the group’s recommendations were based on unverified information and that it should “improve its work style”.
Thai police trafficking investigator seeks asylum in Australia: media
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Thailand’s former chief police investigator into human trafficking said on Thursday he is seeking political asylum in Australia, saying he fears for his life if he go home.
Fifty Afghan security forces, civilians killed in airport siege
KABUL (Reuters) – The last of 11 Taliban insurgents who infiltrated Kandahar airport was killed late on Wednesday, more than 24 hours after the attack was launched, the Defense Ministry said, with the death toll among civilians and security forces risi…
Scandal-hit Malaysian PM insists ‘I am a gentleman’
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak vowed on Thursday he “will not surrender” to critics who say he should quit over a festering funding scandal, and said his government’s economic stewardship was not to blame for a…
