Putin says Western spies plot against Russia before polls
MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin accused Western spies on Thursday of plotting to undermine his rule and “destabilize” Russia before elections by using public organizations for their own goals.
Germany bans Islamist militant group Tauhid Germany
BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government banned the militant jihadist group Tauhid Germany as a threat to society on Thursday and launched raids in four states on its supporters, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said.
Germanwings co-pilot likely crashed jet deliberately: prosecutor
PARIS (Reuters) – The co-pilot of a Germanwings jet that went down in the French Alps, killing 150 people, appears to have crashed the plane deliberately, a Marseille prosecutor said on Thursday.
Syrian Islamist insurgents advance around Idlib city: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – An alliance of Syrian Islamist rebels including al Qaeda’s Nusra Front have overrun 17 defense posts around Idlib in an offensive to take the city from the army and allied militia, a monitoring group said on Thursday.
Four dead in Chile floods, military rescues stranded residents
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – The death toll in Chile rose to four after rains battered the north and caused flooding, the government said on Thursday, while 22 others were unaccounted for as the military rescued stranded villagers.
UK court rules Prince Charles letters to ministers can be disclosed
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that 27 “frank” letters written by Prince Charles to ministers in 2004-2005 can be disclosed to the media, a step that could cast doubt over the political neutrality of the future king.
Business, military, government seize land for rubber in Myanmar: rights group
BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Businesses in Myanmar have colluded with military and government officials to seize vast tracts of farmland from ethnic minority villagers in the northeast, using much of the land for rubber plantations, a UK-base…
Tunisia signals local al Qaeda links to Bardo museum attack
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia said on Thursday that an attack on a Tunis museum last week was launched by a cell of 23 militants, including an Algerian and Moroccans, with overlapping allegiances to a number of hardline islamist groups.
Thai junta targets dissent with visits to student activist homes
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Plainclothes police and military officers have visited the homes of at least 20 student protesters across Thailand in the past week, activists said, in the toughest response to dissent since the days after last year’s coup that ushe…
Burundi ruling party officials ask president to drop third term quest
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – Dozens of senior officials in Burundi’s ruling party have urged President Pierre Nkurunziza to abandon a quest for a third term this June to avoid renewed violence in the landlocked central African nation.
