Sweden wants EU help to relocate refugees
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden will ask the European Commission to arrange for migrants to be moved from the Nordic state to other EU countries, joining Greece and Italy among others in seeking help to cope with record asylum numbers.
Plane crashes in South Sudan, witnesses say dozens killed
JUBA (Reuters) – A Russian-built cargo plane with passengers on board crashed on Wednesday after taking off from the airport in South Sudan’s capital, killing dozens of people, witnesses said.
U.S. government approves Italy’s request to arm its drones
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department has approved a longstanding request from Italy to arm its two MQ-9 Reaper drones with Hellfire missiles, laser-guided bombs and other munitions, two U.S. officials said Wednesday.
French police search office, home of National Front founder
PARIS (Reuters) – French police and investigators raided the offices and home of far-right National Front party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen on Wednesday searching for evidence of alleged tax evasion through foreign bank accounts.
Rebels down government air force plane in western Syria: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Rebels shot down a Syrian government warplane with anti-aircraft fire on Wednesday in the western province of Hama, forcing its pilot to eject, a monitoring group and an insurgent media spokesman said.
Iran’s defense hawks prepare for worst after nuclear deal
DUBAI (Reuters) – As Iran’s government promises a new age of prosperity after sanctions, many Iranians are hoping for the best. But the security establishment, with an eye to its political survival, is very publicly preparing for the worst.
U.S. leads 25 air strikes against Islamic State in Syria, Iraq
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies targeted Islamic State with 25 air strikes in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, according to the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operations.
Egyptian flooding drowns Gaza’s tunnel business
GAZA (Reuters) – Mahmoud Bakeer speaks with despair about the night of the flash flood, when he screamed at his wife and five children to flee their home on Gaza’s border with Egypt as the water rushed in.
Rivals China, Taiwan to hold surprise meeting weeks before island’s elections
TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with the leader of neighboring Taiwan on Saturday, the first such meeting between the two political rivals since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949 and coming weeks ahead of elect…
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.
