Vatican says Pope meant no offense calling Abbas ‘angel of peace’
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis meant no offense to Israel by referring to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as being “an angel of peace” and intended to encourage harmony between the two sides, the Vatican said on Tuesday.
Islamic State learns lessons from U.S. raid: jihadist sources
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A U.S. special forces raid against an Islamic State leader in Syria caught the jihadist group off guard, killing not only the declared target, but also two other important figures, jihadist sources in Syria said.
Insurgents seize army base, tighten grip in Syria’s Idlib province
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Insurgents seized an army base in northwestern Syria from the military on Tuesday, compounding a series of setbacks for President Bashar al-Assad at the hands of rebel groups believed to have received extra backing from his regional …
Russia may ease food import ban for three EU states: Interfax
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia may exempt around 20 firms in Hungary, Greece and Cyprus from its embargo on food imports from the European Union, Interfax news agency quoted a senior official as saying on Tuesday.
Mediterranean shipwreck crew not to face kidnapping charge
CATANIA, Italy (Reuters) – Two smugglers arrested over the deaths of hundreds drowned in the Mediterranean’s most deadly shipwreck in decades will not be charged with kidnapping because assertions migrants had been locked below deck had proved wrong, a…
U.S. fears Shi’ite militias could worsen Iraqi sectarian fires
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The use of Shi’ite militias to try to take back the Iraqi city of Ramadi from Islamic State risks unleashing more sectarian bloodletting, current and former U.S. officials said, but Washington and Baghdad appear to have few other…
Top aide to Iran’s leader meets Syria’s Assad, pledges support
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A top aide to Iran’s leader met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday, footage on Syrian state television showed, underlining firm Iranian support for Damascus as it faces mounting pressure from insurgents in a four-year-old ci…
Learning from Uncle Sam: to Russia’s annoyance, U.S. hones Ukrainian fighting skills
YAVORIV, Ukraine (Reuters) – Tense Ukrainian soldiers with assault rifles creep stealthily around mock houses before bursting in to clear out gunmen, while others practice setting ambushes or infantry assaults, all under the watchful eyes of U.S. Army …
NATO’s Stoltenberg tells Russia’s Lavrov to pull out of Ukraine
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday he had told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Russia must withdraw all troops and heavy weapons from Ukraine and end its support for separatists.
Israel says Iran violated sanctions by purchasing aircraft
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A senior Israeli official took a swipe at Washington on Tuesday over Iran’s purchase of second-hand civilian aircraft, saying the acquisition violated U.S. sanctions and went ahead despite a tip-off from Israel.
