Syria Kurds control 70 percent of besieged Kobani: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Kurdish forces have regained control of around 70 percent of the Syrian town of Kobani near the Turkish border after pushing back Islamic State fighters that have spent months besieging it, a group monitoring the war said on Wednesda…
Tunisian secular leader Essebsi sworn in as new president
TUNIS (Reuters) – Veteran politician Beji Caid Sebsi was sworn in as Tunisian president on Wednesday, giving the country a democratically elected leader four years after an uprising ousted autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.
Iran says new U.S. sanctions violate spirit of nuclear talks
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran criticized the latest U.S. sanctions on nine targets who Washington says have helped Tehran avoid existing sanctions or commit human rights abuses, saying they contravened the spirit of international talks on Iran’s nuclear progr…
Left turn could cost UK’s Labour the 2015 election, says ex-PM Blair
LONDON (Reuters) – Ed Miliband, leader of Britain’s opposition, has damaged his chances of winning next May’s national election by steering his Labour party too far to the left, former Labour prime minister Tony Blair said on Wednesday.
Greece formally dissolves parliament ahead of election
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece formally dissolved parliament on Wednesday ahead of a general election on Jan. 25 that has cast its international bailout into doubt and set financial markets on edge just as the euro zone grapples with renewed signs of weakne…
Nine dead in related homicides in western Canada city
CALGARY (Reuters) – Nine people have been killed in three related incidents in Edmonton in what police in the western Canadian city said was likely an act of domestic violence and the worst mass murder in nearly 60 years.
Saudi king undergoing medical tests in Riyadh hospital: state TV
DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s elderly King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was admitted to a hospital in Riyadh on Wednesday for medical tests, state media reported on Wednesday, citing a royal court statement.
Palestinian statehood resolution fails at U.N council, U.S. votes against
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday rejected a Palestinian resolution calling for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and the establishment of a Palestinian state by late 2017.
Liberia suspends Ebola curfew to allow New Year’s Eve worship
MONROVIA (Reuters) – Liberia’s government has suspended for one night a curfew imposed to curb the spread of Ebola, so that New Year’s Eve church services can go ahead, Deputy Information Minister Isaac Jackson said.
Djibouti government reaches deal to bring opposition into parliament
DJIBOUTI (Reuters) – Djibouti’s government and the Union of National Salvation (USN)opposition coalition have signed an agreement that will pave the way for opposition lawmakers to make their first parliamentary appearance, and for reforms of the count…
