Upstaged NATO searches for ‘360-degree’ response to Russia
TRAPANI, Italy (Reuters) – The brass band played, the flags waved and Western generals delivered speeches brimming with resolve as NATO began big war games in the central Mediterranean this week.
Poor election turnout in Egypt might strengthen Sisi’s hand
CAIRO (Reuters) – Turnout was so low in the first round of Egypt’s parliamentary elections, that satirist Bassem Youssef derided it as an ingenious strategy to show the world Egypt had rid itself of its notorious overcrowding.
Former investment chief is new Saudi ambassador to Washington
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to the United States is Prince Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki Al Saud, a British-educated former head of the kingdom’s investment authority and of a commission on industrial cities, state media reported o…
Lebanon turns back 53 people trying to leave illegally by boat
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Lebanese army said on Wednesday its naval forces returned to shore a boat carrying 53 people trying to leave the country illegally from the northern coastal city of Tripoli.
Portuguese Communists ready to form government with Socialists
LISBON (Reuters) – The head of Portugal’s Communist Party said on Wednesday it along with the Socialists and a smaller leftist party could form a majority government as an alternative to the center-right.
South Africa police fire rubber bullets to clear student protests
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Three university students in South Africa were injured after police fired rubber bullets while students threw stones and burned tires at one university, as rallies against plans to raise tuition fees hit campuses across the cou…
Afghan forces battle to push back Taliban from southern city
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Afghan government forces, bolstered by hundreds of fresh troops and elite commandos, battled on Wednesday to push the Taliban back from around the capital of the southern province of Helmand after fierce fighting a …
Syrian Kurds declare new province in northern Syria
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Kurdish-led authorities in northern Syria have declared a new province including a town on the border with Turkey captured from Islamic State in June, a Kurdish official said on Wednesday, formalizing Kurdish control over the border …
Ukraine ceasefire helps volunteers bring dead soldiers home
ZELENE POLE, Ukraine (Reuters) – A ceasefire in eastern Ukraine means more work for the volunteer group Black Tulip, which can now collect remains of Ukrainian soldiers killed in action without the risk of being caught in crossfire between rebels and g…
Germany grants Chinese artist Ai Weiwei a three-year visa
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chinese dissident artist and free-speech advocate Ai Weiwei has received a visa to stay in Germany for three years and will take up a teaching post at a Berlin university, his spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
