U.S. prisoners leave Iran, arrive in Germany, as Obama hails win for diplomacy
WASHINGTON/ANKARA (Reuters) – Three Iranian-Americans arrived in Germany after leaving Tehran on Sunday in a prisoner swap that followed the lifting of most international sanctions on Iran under a deal U.S. President Barack Obama said cut off Tehran’s …
Israel says Islamic State could attack it and Jordan after Syria setbacks
TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Islamic State’s battleground setbacks in Syria have increased the chance of an attack by the insurgents or their allies on Israel and Jordan, Israel’s military chief said on Monday.
Germany seeks to limit migration from North Africa
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany wants to limit migration from North Africa by declaring Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia ‘safe countries’, officials from the ruling coalition said on Monday, cutting their citizens’ chance of being granted asylum to virtually ze…
Nine Afghan police killed in insider attack, officials say
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Afghan police are looking for rogue policemen who are accused of shooting dead nine colleagues in a so-called insider attack and then stealing their weapons before fleeing to join the Taliban, local officials said on M…
EU wants stricter controls over U.S. snooping powers in data pact talks
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union wants guarantees of effective limits on U.S. authorities’ power to request people’s personal information from companies to conclude a new EU-U.S. data transfer pact, a top EU official said on Monday, as a deadlin…
Missing Hong Kong bookseller in China to answer 2004 conviction: state media
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Swedish bookseller whose mysterious disappearance sparked fears he may have been abducted by Chinese agents said he had voluntarily turned himself in to the authorities over a fatal drink-driving offense more than a decade ago.
Avalanche in French Alps kills five military, two others injured
LYON (Reuters) – An avalanche killed at least five military personnel and seriously injured two other servicemen on Monday while they were skiing in the French Alps, local authorities said.
Cuba’s Raul Castro to visit France on Feb. 1
PARIS (Reuters) – Cuban President Raul Castro next month will make the first visit to France by a Cuban head of state since his brother in 1995 as he tries to carve out a larger role for the Communist-run nation since improving ties with the United Sta…
Islamic State presses attack on government-held area in eastern Syria
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State captured ground from Syrian government forces near the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Monday, a group monitoring the war said, pressing a three-day assault which state media says has killed 300 people.
Court acquits ex-Vatican official in money smuggling case
ROME (Reuters) – A former Vatican prelate was acquitted on Monday of conspiring to smuggle millions of euros in cash into Italy from Switzerland for rich friends.
