U.S. to make new diplomatic push on Syria, talk to Iran: officials
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will try to launch a new initiative for a political solution in Syria during meetings in New York in the next week, starting with talks with his Iranian counterpart on Saturday, U.S. and other W…
U.N. appeals for help for Boko Haram displaced; Nigeria a no-show
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations, Chad, Niger and Cameroon appealed on Friday for help for millions of people in the Lake Chad Basin region forced to flee the violence of Boko Haram and hit with repeated droughts and floods that have broug…
Dalai Lama cancels October U.S. visit on doctors’ advice
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has canceled a planned October visit to the United States at the advice of doctors following a medical check-up this week, his office said in a statement on Friday.
Hezbollah welcomes Russian buildup in Syria, says U.S. has failed
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah on Friday welcomed Russia’s military buildup in Syria in support of common ally President Bashar al-Assad, saying it was the failure of a U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State that had forced Moscow…
Burkina Faso government disbands elite unit behind coup
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – Burkina Faso’s cabinet on Friday dissolved the elite presidential guard that took the president and prime minister hostage in a failed coup just weeks before elections, according to a series of decrees read on state television.
Xi denies China turning artificial islands into military bases
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama expressed concerns about Chinese militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea to China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday, but Xi denied any plan to establish military strongholds there.
Armenian soldiers killed in clashes with Azeri troops near Karabakh
YEREVAN (Reuters) – Four Armenian soldiers were killed in an attack by Azeri forces on Friday near the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in a new outburst of violence in the region, Nagorno-Karabkh’s defense ministry said.
Saudi suggests pilgrims at fault over haj deaths, Iran angry
MINA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia on Friday suggested pilgrims ignoring crowd control rules bore some blame for a crush that killed over 700 people at the haj pilgrimage in the annual event’s worst disaster for 25 years.
Assad must go but might need to talk to him: UK’s Hammond
UNITED NATIONS/PARIS (Reuters) – Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad must go, but it might be necessary to talk with him as part of a deal on a transition of power, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said in an interview published by French daily L…
Russia summons Polish ambassador after Soviet graves vandalized
MOSCOW/WARSAW (Reuters) – The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Polish ambassador to Moscow on Friday after graves of Soviet soldiers were vandalized in a Polish village, an act which Poland’s Foreign Ministry also condemned.
