Indonesian court backs tycoon Bakrie to lead main opposition party
JAKARTA (Reuters) – An Indonesian court on Monday ruled that tycoon Aburizal Bakrie was leader of the country’s largest opposition party, dashing rivals’ hopes the party would defect to the ruling coalition under a different leader.
NATO says not clear if Russia serious about Ukraine peace deal
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – A senior NATO official said on Monday it was still unclear whether Russia was prepared to take steps to support the Minsk agreement to ease the conflict in Ukraine, adding that Moscow would face more sanctions and isolation if the …
UK’s biggest trade union threatens to shun opposition Labour
LONDON (Reuters) – The head of Britain’s largest trade union Unite has threatened to sever links with the opposition Labour Party if the party’s next leader moves it further away from its traditional base of support.
Pope Francis extends agenda of change to Vatican diplomacy
ROME (Reuters) – Pope Francis’ hard-hitting criticisms of localization and inequality long ago set him out as a leader unafraid of mixing theology and politics. He is now flexing the Vatican’s diplomatic muscles as well.
EU’s Tusk says new return policy needed to solve migrants problem
WARSAW (Reuters) – European Council President Donald Tusk said that the European Union cannot welcome all migrants fleeing to its shores and will have to work out a new return policy to tackle the problem.
Venezuela opposition holds primaries for high-stakes parliament vote
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s opposition coalition held primaries on Sunday for this year’s high-stakes parliamentary election, its best shot in over a decade at recouping the National Assembly at one of the ruling Socialist Party’s lowest ebbs.
Singapore calls on Iran to investigate tanker incident
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said on Monday that it has requested the Iranian maritime authorities to investigate an incident last week when Iranian vessels fired shots at a Singapore-flagged tanker in the Gulf.
Burundi president appears in capital, warns of Islamist threat
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza on Sunday made his first public appearance in the capital Bujumbura since an attempted coup last week failed to oust him, warning of a threat posed by Islamist militants from Somalia.
Saudi-led alliance resumes air strikes on Yemen
RIYADH (Reuters) – A Saudi Arabian-led coalition resumed air strikes against Yemen’s Houthi militia in Aden overnight, hours after the expiry of a truce meant to facilitate badly needed humanitarian aid, a Reuters eyewitness said.
Islamic State says it has full control of Iraq’s Ramadi
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Islamic State militants said they had taken full control of the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Sunday in the biggest defeat for the Baghdad government since last summer.
