France’s National Front expels founder Le Pen
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s far-right National Front expelled founder Jean-Marie Le Pen on Thursday in a bid to shed the party’s anti-Semitic reputation and bolster his daughter Marine’s prospects in a presidential election bid.
U.S., allies target Islamic State with 29 air strikes in Syria, Iraq
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies launched 29 air strikes on Wednesday against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, according to the Combined Joint Task Force leading the air operations.
Two Thai bomb ‘suspects’ deny link, international terrorism ‘unlikely’
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A bomb attack in Bangkok in which 20 people were killed was likely planned weeks in advance by a group of 10 people, Thai authorities said on Thursday.
Russia dismisses Western criticism over sentenced Estonian policeman
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Thursday dismissed Western criticism over the sentencing of an Estonian police officer to 15 years in prison for espionage, a case that adds to tensions in Moscow’s strained ties with the West.
As diplomats meet on Syria, war moves into higher gear
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A marked escalation in Syria’s conflict including intensified fighting near Damascus this month could be a sign the warring sides are trying to strengthen their bargaining positions in case a flurry of diplomacy leads to negotiations…
IAEA says report Iran to inspect own military site is ‘misrepresentation’
VIENNA (Reuters) – The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief on Thursday rejected as “a misrepresentation” suggestions Iran would inspect its own Parchin military site on the agency’s behalf, an issue that could help make or break Tehran’s nuclear deal with big …
Turkish PM makes last-ditch call for unity as government deadline looms
ANKARA (Reuters) – Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made a last-ditch call for Turkey’s political parties to agree a working government on Thursday, three days before a deadline that would otherwise see President Tayyip Erdogan call a snap election.
Uncertainty reigns in Iraqi Kurdistan as president’s mandate expires
ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Political uncertainty hung over Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Thursday after President Massoud Barzani’s mandate expired without rival factions reaching an agreement to extend his term.
Senegal’s top court rejects appeal to free ex-president’s son
DAKAR (Reuters) – Senegal’s highest court rejected on Thursday an appeal by the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade against a six-year prison term for corruption, a setback to his hopes of contesting the next presidential election.
Germany charges suspected U.S. and Russian spy with treason
BERLIN (Reuters) – German prosecutors said on Thursday they had charged a former employee of the BND foreign intelligence agency with treason and suspect he gave secrets to both the United States and Russia up until last year.
