Islamic State says blows up two warplanes at Libya base: video
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – The militant group Islamic State’s Libya wing released a video on Thursday purportedly showing it blowing up two warplanes at an air base while its fighters paraded heavy weapons in a show of force.
France opens criminal inquiry into screening of Germanwings crash co-pilot
PARIS (Reuters) – A French prosecutor on Thursday formally opened a criminal inquiry into the Germanwings plane crash in March that killed 150 people to investigate whether mistakes were made in monitoring the psychological health of the co-pilot.
Jailed former mayor ends hunger strike in Venezuela
CARACAS (Reuters) – A former Venezuelan mayor jailed last year for his role in anti-government protests has ended a 20-day hunger strike that supporters said had weakened him and triggered kidney pain, his wife said on Thursday.
U.S. considering more military bases in Iraq: top general
NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) – The United States is considering building more U.S. military bases in Iraq to drive back Islamic State militants in a move that may require a further increase in American forces, the top U.S. general said on Thursday.
Madrid court shelves 2010 Gaza flotilla investigation
MADRID (Reuters) – A Madrid court on Thursday shelved a five-year-old investigation into a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, though the probe could potentially be re-opened if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ever visits Spain.
Tourist sites on alert as militants go for Egypt’s economic lifeline
CAIRO (Reuters) – After a violent campaign directed at security forces, Egyptian militants appear to be zooming in on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s most vulnerable point: the economy.
Killings of soldiers and civilians fray Ukraine’s ceasefire
KIEV (Reuters) – Three civilians and two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in eastern Ukraine within 24 hours up to midday on Thursday, Kiev’s military said, further eroding a four-month-old ceasefire in the separatist conflict.
Nigeria, neighbors forge anti-Boko Haram force
ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria and its neighbors agreed on Thursday to set up a joint military force to counter Boko Haram, a sign of President Muhammadu Buhari’s intent to crush the Islamist militant group early in his tenure.
Kazakhstan to host international uranium fuel bank
VIENNA (Reuters) – An international uranium fuel bank will open in Kazakhstan in two years, partly funded by U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett, after the board of the U.N. nuclear agency approved a hosting agreement on Thursday with the Central Asian cou…
Iranian court upholds jail term for son of ex-president Rafsanjani: IRNA
ANKARA (Reuters) – An Iranian appeals court upheld the jail sentence of Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, on corruption and security charges, state news agency IRNA quoted a judiciary official as saying on Thur…
