Obama, Putin discuss Iran, Islamic State, Ukraine in phone call
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday, their first call since February, to discuss Iran nuclear talks, “the increasingly dangerous situation in Syria” and the need to counter Islamic Stat…
Spain PM names new education minister as election ripples linger
MADRID (Reuters) – Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy named a new education minister to replace the unpopular incumbent on Thursday after the ruling party suffered heavy losses in regional and local elections one month ago.
Italy rebukes EU leaders as ‘time wasters’ on migrants plan
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi rebuked fellow EU leaders on Thursday for failing to agree a plan to take in 40,000 asylum-seekers from Italy and Greece, saying they were not worthy of calling themselves Europeans.
Islamic State attacks Syrian army and Kurds in twin assault
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State fighters have launched simultaneous attacks against Syrian government and Kurdish militia forces, moving back onto the offensive after losing ground in recent days to Kurdish-led forces near the capital of their “caliph…
Chile’s emboldened students back on streets to defy government
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chile’s students were back on the streets on Thursday, four years after their massive protests won wide public support, this time taking on a left-leaning president whose promise of university reform has fallen short of their deman…
U.S. rights report slams Cuba and Iran, despite greater links
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States released its annual human rights report on Thursday, with strong words for countries such as Iran, Cuba, Myanmar and Vietnam, even as it seeks to improve relations with them.
France cracks down on Uber after taxi driver protests
PARIS (Reuters) – France ordered a nationwide clampdown on UberPOP on Thursday, siding with taxi drivers who blockaded major transport hubs in angry protests against the popular online ride-sharing service.
U.S. intelligence chief: China top suspect in hack of U.S. agency: WSJ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States’ intelligence chief said on Thursday that China was the top suspect in a hack of a U.S. agency that compromised the personnel records of millions of Americans, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Palestinians submit first case material against Israel to Hague court
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The Palestinian Authority made its first submission of evidence of alleged Israeli war crimes to the International Criminal Court on Thursday, trying to speed up an ICC inquiry into abuses committed during last year’s Gaza conflic…
Russia ‘playing with fire’ with nuclear saber-rattling: Pentagon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Russia is “playing with fire” with its nuclear saber-rattling and the United States is determined to prevent it from gaining a significant military advantage through violations of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, the deput…
