Saudi foreign minister heads to Pakistan as Iran tensions deepen
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister arrives in Pakistan on Thursday, where he will meet leaders of a government keen to defuse spiralling sectarian tension between the Sunni-majority kingdom and Shi’ite Iran.
China sends envoy to Saudi, Iran amid feud
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has sent an envoy to Saudi Arabia and Iran amid an escalating feud, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, calling on all sides to exercise restraint.
Burkina Faso’s president names economist as prime minister
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – Burkina Faso’s president named economist Paul Kaba Thieba as prime minister on Thursday, a week after being sworn in as the first new leader in almost three decades following his election in November.
Maduro names young hardliner to run Venezuela’s ailing economy
CARACAS (Reuters) – President Nicolas Maduro named a hardline sociologist on Wednesday to steer Venezuela’s economy during an acute recession that is battering the OPEC nation and has cost the ruling Socialists’ control of congress.
First Cuban migrant flight to leave Costa Rica next week
SAN JOSE (Reuters) – The first flight for Cuban migrants stranded in Costa Rica will leave on Tuesday, the Central American country’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Venezuela political showdown deepens, barred legislators sworn in
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s opposition defied a court ruling and swore into the new congress on Wednesday three lawmakers barred from taking their seats, deepening the showdown between the legislature and President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
North Korea test draws threat of sanctions despite H-bomb doubts
SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – North Korea said it successfully tested a powerful nuclear bomb on Wednesday, drawing threats of further sanctions even though the United States and weapons experts voiced doubts the device was as advanced as the isolated n…
Obama, Abadi discuss concern over Saudi Arabia execution in call
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday discussed their “mutual concern” over Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shi’ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr and attacks on Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Iran, the White H…
Central African Republic candidates now mostly support vote count: U.N.
BANGUI (Reuters) – Almost all of the 30 candidates running for president of Central African Republic now support the election despite calls this week by 20 of them for the vote count to be stopped, the U.N. peacekeeping mission said on Wednesday.
A year after ‘Je suis Charlie’, a divided France struggles
PARIS (Reuters) – One year on, an anxious, fragmented France is paying tribute to the victims of the killings at Charlie Hebdo magazine, with old divisions made worse by what President Francois Hollande has called “a terrible year”.
