Israel’s game of thrones: first the vote, then the kingmaking
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israelis will vote in a parliamentary election on March 17, choosing among party lists of candidates to serve in the 120-seat Knesset.
Bahrain seizes bomb-making equipment aboard bus from Iraq: agency
MANAMA (Reuters) – Bahraini security forces have seized bomb-making equipment being smuggled from Iraq aboard a passenger bus for use in attacks in the Gulf Arab kingdom, the public prosecutor said.
Maldives’ foreign minister defends trial of jailed ex-president
COLOMBO/MALE (Reuters) – The Maldives’ Foreign Minister on Monday rejected international criticism of the trial of ex-President Mohamed Nasheed, the country’s first democratically elected leader, who was jailed for 13 years last week.
Kurdish official says Islamic State used chlorine in three attacks
ERBIL (Reuters) – A Kurdish military official said on Monday he had evidence Islamic State has used chlorine as a chemical weapon against peshmerga forces three times in northern Iraq.
Indonesia overlooks Australia in visa-free travel list
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia said on Monday that Australia would be excluded from a list of 45 countries to be offered visa-free travel amid heightened tensions between the countries over the imminent execution of two convicted Australian drug traffic…
Moscow invites U.N. mediator to next Syria talks in early April: Ifax
МОSCOW (Reuters) – Moscow invited the U.N. envoy for Syria to a second round of meetings scheduled for the beginning of April between some Syrian opposition figures and the Damascus government, Interfax reported on Monday citing a deputy foreign minister.
Relief teams report devastation, death after Vanuatu cyclone
PORT VILA (Reuters) – Reports from the outer islands of Vanuatu on Monday painted a picture of utter destruction after a monster cyclone tore through the South Pacific island nation, flattening buildings and killing at least eight people.
One Ukrainian serviceman killed in separatist east: Kiev military
KIEV (Reuters) – One Ukrainian serviceman has been killed in fighting in the separatist-minded east of the country in the past 24 hours despite a ceasefire deal, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military said in a televised briefing on Monday.
Germany saw sharpest immigration rise in years in 2014
BERLIN (Reuters) – The number of foreigners living in Germany grew at the fastest rate in more than two decades last year, the Statistics office said on Monday, data that is likely to fuel an already heated debate on immigration.
Netanyahu era ‘coming to an end,’ says former ally Lapid
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ending, with Israeli voters clearly more concerned about economic and social issues than about security or fears over Iran, a leading election candidate said on Monday.
