Norway must hike defense to counter Russian build-up: military chief
OSLO (Reuters) – Norway needs to scale up and modernize its defense as Russia’s military buildup in the Arctic is creating a more uncertain security situation, its military chief said on Thursday.
Mounting extortion plagues shopkeepers in violent Venezuela
CARACAS (Reuters) – A Portuguese immigrant to Venezuela who opened his shop in an industrial zone of Caracas 25 years ago stores wads of cash in a black bag each week then waits for the phone to ring.
Pakistan’s Sharif urges formalized Kashmir truce with India
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called on Wednesday for cooperation, not confrontation, with on-and-off foe India and said the two nuclear-armed countries should formalize a ceasefire in disputed Kashmir.
Exclusive: Assad allies, including Iranians, prepare ground attack in Syria – sources
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria in the last 10 days and will soon join government forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies in a major ground offensive backed by Russian air strikes, two Lebanese sources told Reuter…
Normal ties between Iran and U.S. unlikely despite nuclear deal
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Iran is unlikely to normalize relations with the United States despite a landmark nuclear deal reached with America and other major powers and the first handshake between a U.S. president and a high-ranking Iranian official i…
Assault on Thai government websites ‘symbolic’, minister says
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand on Thursday played down a coordinated attack on several government websites, with the technology minister pledging that a controversial plan for a single internet gateway would not disrupt social media and business communic…
U.S. led 21 air strikes in Iraq, one in Syria against Islamic State: statement
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies on Wednesday targeted Islamic State with one air strike in Syria and another 21 in Iraq, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operation said.
UNHCR plans for 1.4 million Mediterranean refugees in 2015-6
GENEVA (Reuters) – The U.N. refugee agency expects at least 1.4 million refugees to flee to Europe across the Mediterranean this year and next, according to a document seen by Reuters on Thursday, a sharp rise from initial estimates of 850,000.
U.N. calls on Sri Lanka to pursue war crimes with credible process
GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday called on Sri Lanka to establish a credible justice process, including foreign judges and prosecutors, to investigate alleged war crimes committed during the long conflict that ende…
From lewd jokes to power: Guatemala comic on course for presidency
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – For years, Guatemalan comedian Jimmy Morales earned a living cracking bawdy jokes on TV, riffing on eating condoms and the perils of being ravished by a bull.
