Greek island bears brunt as people-smugglers take Turkish route
KOS, Greece (Reuters) – Michel Allatuain waited beneath the 14th century fortress at the port of this Greek island on Thursday, desperate for a ferry ticket to the European mainland and a better life.
Venezuela ex-general Baduel, former Chavez ally, granted parole
CARACAS (Reuters) – A Venezuelan military court granted parole to former general Raul Baduel, who was key in the rescue of Hugo Chavez from a coup in 2002 but later broke ranks with the late leader’s socialist government, his lawyer said.
Egypt police colonel gets five years jail at re-trial over deaths of 37 prisoners
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian police colonel was sentenced to a reduced five years in jail on Thursday in a re-trial over the deaths of 37 Islamist prisoners being transported to jail in an overcrowded van, lawyers and judicial sources said.
Iraq’s Anbar governor announces sweeping reforms under Abadi plan
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The governor of Iraq’s Anbar province said on Thursday he was implementing a broad package of reforms as part of a campaign led by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to combat corruption and end sectarian and party quotas for government…
Argentine welfare programs create bedrock of support for president
LA MATANZA, Argentina (Reuters) – Catalina Benitez, a single mother of four, used to cry whenever heavy rain flooded her squalid, one-room shanty house on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, rotting her furniture and overflowing the latrine.
Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri pledges allegiance to new Taliban chief: websites
DUBAI (Reuters) – Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, in an online audio message, pledged allegiance to the new head of the Afghan Taliban in a move that could bolster his accession after the death of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar.
Islamic State, rival Islamists clash in Libya, 17 killed: residents
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – At least 17 people were killed in heavy clashes between Islamic State fighters and a rival Islamist group in the Islamic State-held city of Sirte in central Libya on Thursday, residents said.
Second term beckons for Myanmar president after rival ousted
BANGKOK (Reuters) – The ouster of a powerful political rival less than three months before a landmark election in Myanmar was dramatic confirmation of President Thein Sein’s desire for a second term in office, analysts said.
Decades of skullduggery on both sides at U.S. embassy in Cuba
HAVANA (Reuters) – The seven-story building on Havana’s famed “Malecon” seafront has for decades been a flashpoint in the Cold War’s most enduring rivalry.
Guinea Bissau’s president sacks government amid row with PM
BISSAU (Reuters) – Guinea Bissau’s President Jose Mario Vaz has dismissed the government of the fragile West African nation because of a deepening power struggle with the prime minister.
