Tortured by Islamic State, rescued before execution: freed hostages recount ordeal
ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – The last thing that came to Saad Khalaf Ali’s mind as his Islamic State interrogators smothered him with a plastic bag was his two wives and children. Then everything went dark.
Polish election winner may present new government on Saturday
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s Law and Justice party (PiS), which won an outright majority in parliamentary elections last month, may announce its new government on Saturday, the conservative party’s spokeswoman Elzbieta Witek said.
CEE and Baltics say gravely concerned by Russia’s ‘aggressive’ stance
BUCHAREST/WARSAW (Reuters) – Leaders of nine Central and Eastern European and Baltic states said in a joint statement on Wednesday they were gravely concerned by Russia’s “continuing aggressive posturing” and backed a sustainable NATO military presence…
Myanmar ruling party denies dumping ousted chairman
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar’s ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) said on Wednesday it had not expelled ousted party chairman and parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann following reports and social media chatter it had dumped him four days bef…
No let-up on Greek reforms because of migrants, Moscovici says
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s migrant crisis should not lead it to let up on reforms needed to comply with its multi-billion-euro bailout, European Economic Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Wednesday.
Aid rushed to Yemen island after cyclone displaces over 40,000: U.N.
ADEN (Reuters) – Aid flights rushed food and tents to the Yemeni island of Socotra, local officials said on Wednesday, after it was hit by a rare cyclone the United Nations said has displaced 40,000 people there and on the mainland.
Syrian army regains control of Aleppo supply route: TV
AMMAN (Reuters) – The Syrian army regained control of a road southeast of Aleppo on Wednesday, state television said, taking back the government’s only supply route into the city from Islamic State fighters who had seized it last month.
Battered by scandals, Rome set for mega mafia trial
ROME (Reuters) – The biggest mob trial in modern-day Rome opens on Thursday, with a one-eyed former neo-fascist gangster and 45 other defendants in the dock accused of operating a mafia network that plundered city coffers.
ASEAN defense chiefs fail to agree on South China Sea statement
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Disagreement between the United States and China over how to address rival claims in the South China Sea marred a gathering of Southeast Asian defense officials on Wednesday, with a joint statement scrapped after ministers fail…
Putin, Erdogan discuss Syria, ready for political dialogue: Kremlin
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation and shared their opinions on the Syria crisis in light of ministerial meetings in Vienna last week.
