Kurdish militants rule out unilateral ceasefire in Turkey
ANKARA (Reuters) – A commander of the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) ruled out a unilateral ceasefire on Thursday and accused the Turkish government of pursuing war to gain more votes.
Ukraine backtracks on some media sanctions
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has asked his government to remove six European journalists from a newly-published sanctions list, officials said on Thursday, after the list was criticized by the country’s Western allies.
Powerful Saudi royal heirs will define kingdom’s future
RIYADH (Reuters) – The relative youth and almost unprecedented power shared by the two heirs to the Saudi throne mean they are likely to dominate the kingdom’s politics for decades, putting their pivotal relationship increasingly under scrutiny.
South Sudan’s government violated truce with copter attack: monitors
NAIROBI (Reuters) – South Sudan’s government carried out a helicopter gunship attack on rebel positions days after committing to a peace deal, mediators said in the first confirmation of ceasefire violations since the pact was struck.
More than 100 killed in South Sudan when oil truck explodes
JUBA (Reuters) – More than 100 people were killed in South Sudan when an oil truck exploded as a crowd tried to gather fuel from the vehicle after it had veered off the road, a regional official said on Thursday, a day after the incident.
Activists: Syrian government launches heavy air raids on Islamic State-held Raqqa
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian warplanes mounted around a dozen air strikes on the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa on Thursday, activists reported, in an unusually heavy attack by government forces on an area also being targeted by a U.S.-led coalition.
Portuguese PM and Socialist opponent clash over austerity as election nears
Portugal’s prime minister and his Socialist opponent clashed on Thursday over austerity policies in their last debate in the Oct. 4 general election race, which remains too close to call.
Burkina Faso military spy chief seizes power, dissolves government
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – A shadowy spy master formerly the right-hand man to toppled President Blaise Compaore seized power in Burkina Faso at the head of a military coup on Thursday, less than a month before elections meant to restore democracy in the …
Exclusive: European Union moves to suspend sanctions on Belarus
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union is likely to lift some sanctions on Belarus, including its travel ban on President Alexander Lukashenko, after he freed a group of political prisoners last month, diplomatic sources say.
Somali president says rebel attacks don’t mean resurgence
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has dismissed the capture of settlements by al Shabaab militants this month, saying they had no strategic value and it did not signal a resurgence of the Islamist group.
