NATO launches sea mission against migrant traffickers
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO ships are on their way to the Aegean Sea to help Turkey and Greece crack down on criminal networks smuggling refugees into Europe, the alliance’s top commander said on Thursday.
U.S. has ‘significantly’ upped strikes on Islamic State in Afghanistan: general
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has “significantly” increased its air strikes against Islamic State in Afghanistan since President Barack Obama granted commanders broader authority last month to target the group there, a U.S. military spokesma…
U.S. tells allies campaign to defeat Islamic State must be accelerated
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The United States pressed allies on Thursday to contribute more to a U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State that it says must be accelerated, regardless of the fate of diplomatic efforts to end Syria’s civil war.
French PM Valls says new government to keep up reforms
PARIS (Reuters) – Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Thursday that France’s new government, after a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, would keep up working for reforms until the end of Socialist President Francois Hollande’s term in 2017.
Romanian PM dismisses tax chiefs over EU funds fraud inquiry
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romania’s prime minister sacked the head of the tax authority and his deputy on Thursday, a day after anti-corruption prosecutors said they were being investigated as part of a wider probe into alleged misappropriation of European…
U.N. rights expert accuses Israel of excessive force against Palestinians
GENEVA (Reuters) – The U.N. human rights investigator for Gaza and the West Bank called on Israel on Thursday to investigate what he called excessive force used by Israeli security against Palestinians and to prosecute perpetrators.
Kremlin critic Navalny files lawsuit against Putin
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian anti-corruption campaigner and opposition figure Alexei Navalny said on Thursday he had filed a lawsuit against Vladimir Putin after a company in which the Russian leader’s son-in-law is a shareholder received $1.75 billion i…
Turkish security complete operations in Kurdish town: minister
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish security forces have completed operations against Kurdish militants in a border town after weeks of fighting, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said on Thursday, raising hopes that a lockdown could be lifted.
Iraqi PM discourages Kurdish independence referendum
BERLIN (Reuters) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi urged the country’s autonomous Kurdistan region not to go ahead with a proposed referendum on independence, saying it would be neither in its own interest nor Iraq’s.
France’s Hollande reshuffles his government before 2017 elections
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande reshuffled his government on Thursday, reshaping his team ahead of the 2017 presidential elections.
