Iran executes Kurdish activist, wary of Kurdish gains in Middle East
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran executed a Kurdish activist on Wednesday accused of killing a public prosecutor, the second such case this month, rights groups said, as Iran, unsettled by Kurdish gains in the region, tightens the screws on its Kurdish minority….
Border closure turns once-bustling Venezuelan city into ghost town
SAN ANTONIO, Venezuela (Reuters) – The border bridge is usually choked with motorbikes and U.S. gas guzzling cars, leading into loud and grimy streets where traders hawk wares but smugglers hide theirs.
Renewed Kurdish conflict angers Turks, overshadows election
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Clinging to his brother’s coffin, draped in the red Turkish flag, Lieutenant Colonel Mehmet Alkan’s outburst was a rare public show of defiance from a serving officer as Turkish jets bombard Kurdish militants.
Coalition poised to retake capital, but Yemen risks grow
SANAA/RIYADH (Reuters) – Weeks after seizing Yemen’s southern port, Aden, members of a Saudi-led military coalition and the local fighters it supports say they are poised to oust Iranian-allied Houthi forces from the capital Sanaa.
Italy government puts scandal-hit Rome on tight leash
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s government said on Thursday it would put Rome city hall under close supervision following allegations it had fallen under the sway of organized crime, but allowed the beleaguered mayor to stay in office.
Warring sides in Syria agree to extend local ceasefires
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Warring sides in Syria have agreed to extend a ceasefire in a rebel-held town near the border with Lebanon and two Shi’ite villages in the northwest, and to evacuate wounded, sources close to talks said.
Arrest warrant issued for former Pakistani prime minister
KARACHI (Reuters) – A Pakistani anti-corruption court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, in a case alleging millions of dollars of graft in a trade development scheme, a security official said.
Libya’s Tripoli group delays joining peace talks after official quits
SKHIRAT, Morocco (Reuters) – Delegates for Libya’s rival government in Tripoli will hold off joining peace talks that were due to start on Thursday until they manage to form a new team following the resignation of a senior negotiator, a representative …
Please stop looking for lost Nazi treasure train, Poland asks
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland appealed to World War Two buffs and rail enthusiasts on Thursday to stop searching for a Nazi German train believed to have lain undiscovered for 70 years in the southwest of the country and rumored to carry valuable treasures…
Rouhani faces pressure for release of Iran’s political prisoners
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Having struck a historic nuclear deal to end decades of enmity between Iran and the West, President Hassan Rouhani faces a fresh challenge at home, to win the release of leading political prisoners whose case has polarized the Islami…
