U.S. official in Israel to discuss Mideast nuclear arms ban
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – A senior U.S. official is in Israel to discuss the possibility of a compromise that would keep alive the idea of someday banning nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, U.S. officials and U.N. diplom…
Islamic State says it has full control of Syria’s Palmyra
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State fighters tightened their grip on the historic Syrian city of Palmyra on Thursday and overran Iraqi government defenses east of Ramadi, the provincial capital that they seized five days earlier.
Malaysia orders rescue of migrants, Myanmar to attend conference
KUALA LUMPUR/BANGKOK (Reuters) – Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Thursday he had ordered the navy to rescue thousands of migrants adrift at sea, and a Thai official said Myanmar had agreed to attend an emergency conference on the crisis.
A year after Thai coup, stability trumps growth for business
BANGKOK (Reuters) – When Thailand’s army seized power in a bloodless coup, much of the business establishment quietly cheered them on. A year on, the captains of Thai industry remain firmly behind the junta, despite a lackluster economy and a delayed r…
U.S. vows to continue patrols after China warns spy plane
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States vowed on Thursday to keep up air and sea patrols in international waters after the Chinese navy repeatedly warned a U.S. surveillance plane to leave the airspace over artificial islands China is creating in the …
U.S., Cuba talks on opening embassies head into second day
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Talks between the United States and Cuba will go into a second day on Friday as the sides try to reach agreement on reopening embassies shut for more than half a century, the crucial next step in their historic detente.
Despite Obama endorsement, U.S. concerns grow over Iraqi premier
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration is publicly voicing confidence in Iraq’s prime minister in the fight against surging Islamic State militants, but privately some U.S. officials question whether he is too weak to bridge the sectarian divide.
EU defies Russian ‘bully’ but disappoints ex-Soviets
RIGA (Reuters) – European Union leaders met six ex-Soviet neighbors on Thursday in Riga, rejecting Russian “bullying” in the 18 months since their last summit in a once Kremlin-ruled EU capital sparked conflict in Ukraine.
Obama boosts support, elevates status for ally Tunisia
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday pledged to elevate Tunisia as a major non-NATO ally of the United States, a gesture that recognizes the country’s democratic progress after the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.
Bugged phones and double barbed wire: far fewer North Koreans defect
SEOUL (Reuters) – It’s much more dangerous, and twice as expensive, to defect from North Korea since Kim Jong Un took power in Pyongyang three and a half years ago, refugees and experts say, and far fewer people are escaping from the repressive and imp…
