Germany’s Gabriel says refugee spending like stimulus package
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Wednesday that increased government spending for refugees would work like a stimulus package for Europe’s biggest economy.
China says not planning to send military ships to Syria
BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Wednesday it had no plans to send military ships to Syria to fight with Russian forces after reports in overseas media that it was planning to do so.
Russia’s Lavrov says Washington declines deeper military talks on Syria
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United States declined to send a high-level military delegation to Moscow to discuss deeper coordination in fighting in Syria as had been proposed by Moscow.
Iraqi army, militia forces launch assault to retake Baiji from Islamic State
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The Iraqi army and volunteer militia fighters, who are mostly Shi’ite, launched an assault on Wednesday to retake the city of Baiji in northern Iraq from Islamic State militants, an Iraqi military spokesman said.
Tensions build in Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta
YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) – Enjoying a chilled cider in a hotel pool bar, former Nigerian militant leader Ebi John has a simple message for President Muhammadu Buhari – keep paying my men or risk a new insurgency in the Niger Delta.
China arrests South Koreans for luring Chinese to casinos
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police have arrested 13 South Korean casino managers and several Chinese agents suspected of luring people from China to gamble in South Korea, state television reported.
Surge in violence tests loyalties of Israeli Arabs
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s leading Arab politician was in the middle of a television interview on a street in its biggest Arab city when the mayor, also an Arab, pulled up in his car and started shouting at him to leave.
Iranian MPs arrive in Damascus before joint offensive
DUBAI (Reuters) – A delegation of Iranian lawmakers arrived in Damascus on Wednesday in the build-up to a joint operation against insurgents in northwest Syria, and said U.S.-led efforts to fight rebels had failed.
Philippine army rejects call for negotiations to free hostages
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippine army on Wednesday rejected demands by Islamist militants to start negotiations for the release of three abducted foreign tourists and a Filipino woman and halt an offensive on a remote southern island.
China’s Tianjin to relocate chemicals firms after blasts
BEIJING (Reuters) – Hazardous chemical companies in the Chinese port city of Tianjin will be moved to an industrial zone far from the site of deadly warehouse explosions in August in the city’s development area, state media reported on Wednesday.
