Death toll from attack on Somali hotel rises to 25
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – The death toll in Friday’s bombing of a hotel in the Somali capital has risen to 25, including two lawmakers and workers from the prime minister’s office, the government said on Saturday.
Yemen ex-president released from house arrest
SANAA (Reuters) – Former Yemen president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi left his home on Saturday for the first time since the Houthi militia stormed it in late January and put him under house arrest, prompting his resignation, witnesses said.
Australia prepares for floods in aftermath of major cyclones
ROCKHAMPTON, Australia (Reuters) – Australia braced on Saturday for heavy rains and floods after weather authorities downgraded two cyclones that lashed its north and northeast, damaging homes and snapping power links, but there were no reports of casu…
New U.S. defense chief silent on date of Mosul offensive
KABUL (Reuters) – New U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Saturday he would not telegraph the precise timing of an upcoming Iraqi offensive to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State militants, after a U.S. military briefing caused an uproar….
Venezuela indicts opposition mayor on charges of conspiring
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela on Friday indicted a veteran Caracas mayor on charges of plotting violence against President Nicolas Maduro’s government and ordered he be jailed in a military prison pending trial.
Russian Finance Minister says Moody’s downgrade had ‘political character’
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Moody’s downgrade of Russia’s sovereign rating was based on “factors of a political character,” Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said early on Saturday following news that Moody’s had cut the rating to below investment grade….
Islamic State militants claim suicide attacks in Libya that kill 42
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – Militants claiming loyalty to Islamic State killed 42 people in suicide car bombings in eastern Libya on Friday, in apparent retaliation for Egyptian air strikes.
Greece, euro zone agree four-month loan extension, avert crunch
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Euro zone finance ministers agreed in principle on Friday to extend Greece’s financial rescue by four months, averting a potential cash crunch in March that could have forced the country out of the currency area.
Kiev accuses Russia of sending more tanks to east Ukraine
DEBALTSEVE, Ukraine/KIEV (Reuters) – Kiev accused Russia on Friday of sending more tanks and troops into eastern Ukraine and said they were heading towards the rebel-held town of Novoazovsk on the southern coast, expanding their presence on what it fea…
British police launch appeal to find ‘Syria-bound’ schoolgirls
LONDON (Reuters) – British police launched an appeal on Friday to trace three London schoolgirls who are believed to be making their way to Syria, having flown to Turkey earlier this week.
