Powers struggle to agree on Syria; Russia urged to strike Islamic State
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – France challenged Russia to back its words with deeds over fighting Islamic State militants in Syria as major powers on Tuesday struggled to resolve differences between Moscow and the West over ending the civil war in the Mid…
U.S.-Cuban aviation deal possible this year, official says
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba and the United States advanced toward restoring scheduled airline service during two days of talks that concluded in Havana on Tuesday, with the potential to reach a deal this year, a U.S. official said.
Taliban audacity trumps Afghan forces’ weak defenses in Kunduz
KABUL (Reuters) – Under cover of darkness, groups of Taliban fighters carrying rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons sneaked through fields and villages toward the northern Afghan city of Kunduz from four directions.
At U.N., Yemen accuses Iran of pursuing its destruction
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Yemen’s president accused Iran on Tuesday of pursuing the destruction of his country, where government forces and a Saudi Arabia-led coalition are fighting Tehran-backed rebels.
Japan boosts support for war refugees from Syria, Iraq
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Japan’s prime minister said on Tuesday that his country would provide some $1.6 billion to assist Syrians and Iraqis displaced by conflict and for building peace across the Middle East and Africa.
Australia to bid for U.N. Security Council seat
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will bid to rejoin the United Nations Security Council by the end of the next decade, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a statement on Wednesday.
Exclusive: Nigerian president to become oil minister in new Cabinet
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – President Muhammadu Buhari will hold Nigeria’s oil portfolio in his new Cabinet, rather than trust anyone else with the source of most of Nigeria’s revenue, he told Reuters on Tuesday.
Taliban audacity trumps Afghan forces’ weak defenses in Kunduz
KABUL (Reuters) – Under cover of darkness, groups of Taliban fighters carrying rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons sneaked through fields and villages toward the northern Afghan city of Kunduz from four directions.
Abe says Japan must solve its own problems before accepting any Syria refugees
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday that Japan needed to improve conditions for its own people, including women and the elderly, before accepting any refugees from Syria.
U.S. stops sending new Syria recruits to troubled rebel training program
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has stopped pulling new recruits from the battlefield in Syria for training outside the country as the U.S. military program to forge a force of moderate rebels undergoes review, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tue…
