Arab leaders confronted with multiple crises at summit
CAIRO (Reuters) – Arab leaders meeting at a summit this week face rapidly deteriorating conflicts in Yemen and Libya, but have yet to agree on a concrete plan to counter a growing threat from Islamist militant groups and regional chaos.
Divided north Nigerian city fears post-election violence
KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) – As campaigning reached a peak for this Saturday’s presidential election in Nigeria, residents of the volatile city of Kaduna made their own preparations – stock-piling food and securing shops and homes for fear of post-poll …
Fighters target vital water plants across Middle East: Red Cross
GENEVA (Reuters) – Fighters are increasingly targeting water and sanitation facilities across the Middle East, exacerbating severe shortages for agriculture and households, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday.
Turkey unveils Great Synagogue as Jewish population fades
EDIRNE, Turkey (Reuters) – When the domes of Edirne’s abandoned Great Synagogue caved in, Rifat Mitrani, the town’s last Jew, knew it spelled the end of nearly two millennia of Jewish heritage in this Turkish town.
Iraqi president expects U.S.-led coalition air strikes on Tikrit soon
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi President Fouad Massoum said on Wednesday that the U.S.-led coalition would soon carry out air strikes against Islamic State in the Sunni city of Tikrit, after starting aerial reconnaissance flights this week.
Polish priest jailed for seven years over child sex abuse
WARSAW (Reuters) – A Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children in Poland and the Dominican Republic was sentenced to seven years in jail by a Polish court on Wednesday.
Three men arrested for recruiting Islamist fighters in Italy
MILAN (Reuters) – Police arrested three men on Wednesday for allegedly setting up a network in Italy to recruit Islamist fighters to be sent to Syria and Iraq, the Italian authorities said.
Police make 77 arrests in Europe-wide people trafficking crackdown
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A large criminal gang smuggling migrants from Kosovo across the European Union’s porous south-eastern border and onwards into Western Europe has been broken up, the EU’s policing agency said on Wednesday.
U.S., allies hit Islamic State with 19 air strikes: task force
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies staged 19 air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq in the latest round of daily attacks, the Combined Joint Task Force said on Wednesday.
Sanctions threat will not deter counter-attacks: South Sudan president
JUBA (Reuters) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, fresh from being extended in office for another three years, said on Wednesday the threat of international sanctions would not keep him from retaliating against his rival.
