Colombia to resume bombing rebels after deadly ambush
BOGOTA/HAVANA (Reuters) – Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos ordered the resumption of bombing raids against FARC guerrillas on Wednesday after a rebel attack killed 10 soldiers, heating up a war that had seen a tentative cessation of hostilities….
Mediterranean migrant smugglers ‘violent and audacious’: agencies
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Many migrants who survive the perilous sea crossing to Europe from North Africa are physically and sexually abused by the smugglers who organize their journey, according to testimony gathered by aid workers in Ital…
Iraq says Islamic State still fierce; eyes Baiji, Anbar fights
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iraq’s prime minister said on Wednesday that the Islamic State remains a fierce adversary as he outlined plans during a trip to Washington to prioritize battles in the refinery city of Baiji and Anbar province, where the militant…
Italy PM Renzi faces party revolt over electoral law
ROME (Reuters) – A senior parliamentary figure in Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s ruling center-left Democratic Party (PD) resigned on Wednesday in protest over his proposed new electoral law, underlining unrest among government backbenchers.
Japan jets scramble at Cold-War levels as Chinese and Russian incursions increase
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s air force said on Wednesday jet fighter scrambles had reached a level not seen since the height of the Cold War three decades ago as Russian bombers probe its northern skies and Chinese combat aircraft intrude into its souther…
Labour leads Conservatives by 1 percent point ahead of UK election: poll
(Reuters) – The opposition Labour Party holds a one-percentage-point lead over Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative Party ahead of Britain’s May 7 election, according to a YouGov poll for The Sun newspaper published late on Wednesday.
U.N. Yemen envoy to step down, may be replaced by Mauritanian: source
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N. special adviser to Yemen Jamal Benomar is planning on stepping down from his job and U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon is considering appointing a Mauritanian diplomat to the post as the civil war escalates, a U.N. diplomatic sourc…
Two candidates drop out of ‘unfair’ Sudanese election
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Two independent candidates withdrew from Sudan’s presidential election on Wednesday, citing irregularities in the polling process after the election commission extended voting by a day.
Air strikes near Tripoli as U.N. peace talks on Libya resume
TRIPOLI/RABAT (Reuters) – Forces loyal to Libya’s internationally recognized government carried out air strikes on Wednesday near the capital Tripoli, which is controlled by its rivals, officials said, as United Nations-brokered peace talks resumed in …
Mideast’s arch-survivor stands in way of Saudi success in Yemen
DUBAI (Reuters) – Three weeks of Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen have led to defections of army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, military sources said, dealing a blow to his efforts to stage a comeback.
