Protesters march, France eyes business deals as Iran’s Rouhani visits
PARIS (Reuters) – France and Iran hailed the sale of Airbus planes and the renewal of a decades-old carmaking venture as symbols of thawing relations on Thursday while protesters in Paris tried to get human rights onto the agenda.
Syria peace talks derailed as opposition stays away
AMMAN/BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) – The Syrian opposition said it will not attend peace talks due to begin in Geneva on Friday, derailing the first attempt in two years to hold negotiations aimed at ending the five-year-long war.
Croatian minister for war veterans quits after six days
ZAGREB (Reuters) – Croatia’s minister for war veterans, Mijo Crnoja, resigned on Thursday just six days after he was sworn in as part of a new government, following media reports that he had registered himself at a non-existent address in an area with …
U.S. Senate panel approves measure to broaden North Korea sanctions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. Senate committee approved legislation on Thursday that would broaden sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear program, human rights record and cyber activities, the latest bid by U.S. lawmakers to clamp down on Pyongyang …
German government agrees tighter asylum rules
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and their left-leaning Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners agreed on Thursday to tighten asylum rules, reaching a compromise on how to stem an influx of migrants that topped one mi…
Jason Rezaian thanks Kerry in first appearance since release
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian thanked U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday for negotiating his release from an Iranian prison in his first public appearance since leaving Iran nearly two weeks ago.
Peacekeepers, Congo army to resume joint fight against Rwandan rebels: U.N.
KINSHASA (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo’s army and U.N. peacekeepers agreed on Thursday to resume military cooperation against Rwandan Hutu rebels, the U.N. mission said, beefing up efforts to root out one of the region’s most notorious rebel…
Canada stops sharing some spy info with allies after breach
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada has stopped its electronic spy agency from sharing some data with key international allies after discovering the information mistakenly contained personal details about Canadians, government officials said on Thursday.
U.S., Russian defense officials discuss air safety over Syria: Pentagon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senior U.S. and Russian defense officials held a video conference on Thursday to discuss military air safety over Syria as the two sides carry out separate air strikes targeting rebel forces in the country, the Pentagon said.
U.N. praises Somalia deal on model for electoral process
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised an agreement by Somalia’s government on Thursday on a model for the electoral process to establish a new, bicameral federal parliament in 2016, a U.N. spokesman said.
