With help from his allies, Syria’s Assad looks set to stay
BEIRUT (Reuters) – As the United States and Iran negotiate the final stages of a nuclear deal, they are still oceans apart on another area of conflict: the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
U.S., allies conduct 12 air strikes in Syria, Iraq
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. and coalition forces conducted eight air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq during a 24-hour period, while U.S. forces led four air strikes in Syria, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.
Bangladesh names second citizen held in Libya oilfield attack
DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh on Tuesday identified a second citizen among a group of foreign workers taken hostage last week by the Islamic State militant group in an attack on a Libyan oilfield.
NATO naval drills start in Black Sea after one-day delay
SOFIA (Reuters) – NATO’s Black Sea members Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey joined four other alliance states in a multinational naval exercise on Tuesday just across the water from the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia last year.
China jails two for selling military secrets, including details of aircraft carrier
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has jailed two men for selling military secrets, including hundreds of photos of the country’s lone aircraft carrier, to foreign spies, state media reported on Friday, without saying which countries were buying them.
Japan PM vows new five-year plan to rebuild from 2011 disaster
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday vowed to draw up a new-five year plan to speed rebuilding from a massive 2011 tsunami and the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl that have left thousands still homeless.
Dozens escape Islamic State-run jail in Syria: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – About 95 captives, including Kurdish fighters, escaped from an Islamic State-run prison in northern Syria but most have been recaptured, a monitoring group said on Tuesday.
Persistent Israeli ethnic divide may split vote for Netanyahu
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – In the past, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party could count on Israelis like 50-year-old shopkeeper Yossi Levy when it came to election day.
India’s Modi to dilute pro-business changes to land bill
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s government sought on Tuesday to break a political deadlock over reforms that would make it easier to buy land, in a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ability to steer his business-friendly agenda through parliament.
Poland to choose missile defense supplier in next few weeks
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland plans to choose the supplier for its medium-range missile defense system within the next few weeks, Deputy Defence Minister Czeslaw Mroczek said on Tuesday.
