Egypt opening Suez Canal expansion to high hopes and some doubts
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt will open an expansion to the Suez Canal to great fanfare on Thursday, the centerpiece of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s plans to revitalize the country’s economy after years of damaging political turmoil.
U.S. drone hits Syria in first lethal strike launched from Turkey
WASHINGTON/ANKARA (Reuters) – The United States has conducted its first drone strike into northern Syria from a base in Turkey, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, ahead of what Ankara said would soon be a “comprehensive battle” against Islamic State milit…
Islamic State targeted in 29 air strikes by U.S.-led coalition: statement
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies staged 29 air strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, the Command Joint Task Force said.
Greece’s Tsipras says loan deal with lenders close
ATHENS (Reuters) – Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Wednesday that Greece was close to concluding a deal with lenders on a multi-billion-euro bailout, which he said would end doubts over its place in the euro zone.
Civilian casualties rise as Afghan war intensifies in 2015
KABUL (Reuters) – The war in Afghanistan claimed almost 5,000 civilian casualties in the first half of 2015, the United Nations said on Wednesday, a one percent increase on last year as fighting intensified following the withdrawal of most foreign troo…
Iran to present Syria peace plan to United Nations
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran will soon present the United Nations with a peace plan for Syria, where civil war has caused a humanitarian catastrophe and allowed the Islamic State group to flourish, Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Wed…
Fishermen’s messaging service saves lives, boosts income in east India
CHAUMUHANI, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A fisherman’s son and now a fisherman himself, Kulamani Tarai knows all too well that while the sea has provided sustenance to his family for generations, it can also be a cruel and deadly place.
Ivory Coast to hold post-war presidential election on Oct 25
ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Ivory Coast’s government on Wednesday fixed Oct. 25 as the date for a presidential election considered a key step in overcoming a decade of political turmoil and civil war.
Protesters march in Nepal to demand charter drop the term ‘secular’
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Hindu activists protested in the Nepali capital on Wednesday, saying the use of the word “secular” in the Himalayan nation’s draft constitution would spur efforts by other religious groups to convert Hindus.
Twenty years on, Croatia celebrates end of war as Serbia mourns
ZAGREB/BELGRADE (Reuters) – Croatia rolled out tanks and waved flags to mark the 20th anniversary on Wednesday of the blitz that ended its independence war while Serbia mourned the event as ‘the biggest ethnic cleansing since World War Two’.
