Syrian rebels seize historic town in south: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Insurgents seized a historic town in southern Syria from the government on Wednesday, a group monitoring the war said, part of a rebel counter-attack to stop Damascus reclaiming the border zone near Israel and Jordan.
At least 12 dead in Vietnam industrial zone accident: media
HANOI (Reuters) – – At least 12 laborers were killed and more than 20 wounded on Wednesday when scaffolding collapsed at a construction project in a coastal economic zone in central Vietnam, state media reported. The workers were sub-contractors for construction of a breakwater, led by Samsung C&T Corp, a unit of South Korea’s Samsung Group, at the Vung Ang economic zone in Ha Tinh province, the online newspaper Thanh Nien (Young People) said.
Italy court ruling on Amanda Knox delayed until Friday
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s highest court delayed until Friday a ruling on whether to uphold the conviction of American Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher.
Ex-Congo child soldier apologizes at U.N. for 1990s killings
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – A former child soldier from Democratic Republic of Congo told the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday he was sorry for the harm he caused after he was forcefully recruited from his school by an armed group at age 12….
Moscow says new U.S. national security strategy is anti-Russian
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s federal Security Council on Wednesday criticized as “anti-Russian” the new U.S. national security strategy, which lists Moscow’s aggression in its neighboring Ukraine among most pressing threats.
Glimmers of hope in Central Africa Republic but peace elusive
YALOKE, Central African Republic/DAKAR (Reuters) – Hunted through the bush of Central African Republic by Christian militiamen, hundreds of half-starved Muslim herders found sanctuary with U.N. peacekeepers in the town of Yaloke. For almost a year, the…
Britain fights slavery with tough new law as part of global battle
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Human traffickers may face life imprisonment under a British law passed on Wednesday to crack down on modern-day slavery, one of a raft of measures designed to lead the way in combating the $150 billion a year indu…
Greece fails in bid for early cash release, reforms awaited
BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece failed in a bid on Wednesday to secure a quick cash payment from the euro zone rescue fund to help stave off potential bankruptcy next month, raising pressure on Athens to deliver a convincing reform program within da…
Donors pledge more than one billion euros for Guinea-Bissau
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – International donors pledged more than one billion euros ($1.10 billion) for Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday to support a 10-year development plan aimed at giving the country a new start after prolonged political instability.
CAR farmers need seeds now, cheaper than more food aid later: U.N.
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Failure to provide farmers in conflict-hit Central African Republic with seeds to plant crops could worsen food shortages, displace more people and raise the cost of humanitarian aid, a U.N. official said on Wednes…
