France wants U.N. Security Council meeting on minorities in Middle East
RABAT (Reuters) – France is calling for a U.N. Security Council meeting on March 27 to discuss the situation of minorities in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Monday.
Venezuela calls in top diplomat in U.S. for consultations
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela has called in its top diplomat in the United States for consultations after Washington earlier on Monday declared the South American country a national security threat and ordered sanctions against seven officials.
Iran, IAEA officials meet ahead of March nuclear deadline: ISNA
ANKARA (Reuters) – Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog held talks in Tehran on Monday, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported, ahead of a March deadline for a framework agreement on Iran’s nuclear program between Tehran and six major powers.
Putin says plan to take Crimea hatched before referendum
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he ordered officials to start work on taking control of Crimea weeks before a referendum which, the Kremlin has asserted until now, prompted the region’s annexation from Ukraine.
Former Turkish spy chief re-appointed to post after abandoning election bid
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu re-appointed the former head of Turkey’s intelligence service to his post on Monday, hours after the top spy abandoned plans to run for parliament in an apparent victory for President Tayyip Erd…
U.S. urges Europe to commit more troops to U.N. peacekeeping
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United States on Monday called on Europe to contribute more troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions and announced that President Barack Obama would hold a summit of world leaders in New York in September to win new…
Chad, Niger soldiers killed as Boko Haram loses Nigerian towns
NIAMEY/N’DJAMENA (Reuters) – About 15 soldiers from Chad and Niger died in fighting to take control of two towns in northern Nigeria from Boko Haram, the first gains against the militants in a joint offensive launched at the weekend, military sources s…
Human rights or business? Saudi defense accord sparks storm in Sweden
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – The fate of a defense cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia has triggered a dispute between Swedish business, including powerful arms exporters, and the country’s new center-left government which favors a foreign policy focused on …
U.N. inquiry on Gaza war crimes seeks delay of report to June: statement
GENEVA (Reuters) – U.N. investigators looking at possible war crimes committed by all sides during the Gaza war last year have asked to postpone publication of their report from March until June to consider further evidence received, a U.N. statement s…
Yemen Houthis launch ‘martyr’ videos to raise morale
SANAA (Reuters) – Iranian-allied Houthi militants have released videos made by their fighters before they were killed in action which highlight the sectarian nature of the conflict in Yemen.
