U.S. steps up diplomacy, rebel support to end Syrian ‘hell’: Kerry
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is intensifying its diplomacy to end the “hell” of Syria’s civil war even as it increases support for moderate rebels fighting Islamic State militants, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday
Former Toronto mayor famous for smoking crack has new cancer scare
TORONTO (Reuters) – Doctors for Rob Ford, the former mayor of Toronto who gained global notoriety for admitting to smoking crack while in office, have found a new tumor after cancer treatment forced him out of a re-election race in 2014.
In Indonesia, minorities under threat from Muslim hardliners
ACEH SINGKIL, Indonesia (Reuters) – When a mob of Muslims swooped on a little church deep in rural Aceh in Indonesia this month, the local police were nowhere to be seen, although they had received warnings of a possible attack.
Central African Republic to hold elections on Dec. 13
BANGUI (Reuters) – Central African Republic will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on Dec. 13, the electoral commission said on Wednesday, reviving delayed efforts to restore democracy in a country rocked by fighting since 2013.
Arch-rivals Saudi Arabia, Iran to discuss Syria face-to-face for first time
RIYADH/DUBAI (Reuters) – Arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran announced they would attend international talks in Vienna on Friday on the Syrian conflict, in what will be their first meeting to discuss the four-year-long war.
Puerto Rico governor calls report on his election plans incorrect
SAN JUAN/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said via social media on Wednesday that a news report he would announce this week a decision not to run in the November 2016 elections was incorrect.
Bavarian allies heap pressure on Merkel over refugees
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel came under intense pressure for her handling of the refugee crisis on Wednesday, with her Bavarian allies warning of a full-blown coalition crisis unless she takes immediate action to limit a record in…
Pressure mounts on Brazilian Congress to impeach president
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Opposition activists handcuffed themselves to a pillar in Brazil’s Congress on Wednesday seeking the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff for mismanaging a once-booming economy and undermining confidence in the country.
Saudi-led coalition drops weapons for allies in Yemeni city
DUBAI (Reuters) – Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition bombed the Iran-allied Houthi movement across Yemen on Wednesday and dropped weapons to Islamist militias battling the group, a day after being accused of bombing the hospital of an international m…
Burundi violence leaves more than a dozen dead, U.N. worried
NAIROBI (Reuters) – More than a dozen people were killed in clashes in Burundi on Monday and Tuesday, police said, in the latest violence linked to the disputed third term of President Pierre Nkurunziza that has sparked concern by the United Nations Se…
