French forces free Dutch hostage in Mali
PARIS (Reuters) – French forces have freed a Dutch man held hostage in Mali since 2011 by al Qaeda’s north African arm, the French defense ministry said.
South Korea condemns Japanese books as bid to repeat ‘past mistakes’
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea condemned on Monday Japan’s approval of textbooks that it said distorted history by claiming disputed islands, summoning Japan’s ambassador and warning that the approval was a sign Japan was prepared to repeat its colonial…
Indonesian court rejects last-ditch appeal by Australian death-row convicts
JAKARTA (Reuters) – An Indonesian court rejected on Monday a last-ditch challenge by two Australian drug convicts facing execution by firing squad, but lawyers for the state and defense were divided over whether legal avenues remained for them to avoid…
Syrian Islamists exchange 25 women and children prisoners for commander
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamist militants and fighters loyal to the Syrian government have made a rare prisoner swap, with insurgents releasing 25 women and children in exchange for one of their commanders, a monitoring group said on Monday.
Modi says India to strike own path in climate battle
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signaled on Monday he would not bow to foreign pressure to commit to cuts in carbon emissions, instead pledging to use more clean energy and traditional methods to lead the fight against climate…
Briton among those held following Istanbul prosecutor attack: media
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A British citizen was among those arrested in an operation against a far-left militant group in Turkey after its members last week took hostage a prosecutor who died when armed police tried to free him, local media said on Monday.
Truce monitors find Philippine police, rebels violated ceasefire
MANILA (Reuters) – Malaysian-led peace monitors have found that both the Philippine police and Muslim rebels were at fault for violating a ceasefire in a January clash in which 65 people were killed, the government’s chief negotiator said on Monday.
Dozens killed in fighting near Yemen’s Aden port
ADEN (Reuters) – Houthi fighters and allied army units clashed with local militias in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Sunday, and eyewitnesses said gun battles and heavy shelling ripped through a downtown district near the city’s port.
Islamic State blows up Syrian church: state news agency
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State insurgents blew up an 80-year-old church in Syria’s northeastern province of Hassaka on Easter Sunday, Syrian state news agency SANA said.
Greece moves to quell default fears, pledges to meet ‘all obligations’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said on Sunday that Greece “intends to meet all obligations to all its creditors, ad infinitum,” seeking to quell default fears ahead of a big loan payment Athens owes the IMF later this we…
