Somali leader sees Islamist rebels out of towns by year-end
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Somalia’s president said on Thursday a military campaign would push Islamist al Shabaab fighters out of all towns and major territories by the end of the year, though the militants would still be able to mount guerrilla attacks.
Swedish appeal court upholds Assange detention order
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – A Swedish court rejected on Thursday an appeal by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to revoke a detention order issued over allegations of sexual assault, but called on prosecutors to make more effort to question him.
Iran’s Supreme Leader frees pioneering Iranian ‘Blogfather’: media
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday pardoned Iranian-Canadian blogger Hossein Derakhshan after six years in prison for spreading propaganda, insulting Islam and cooperating with hostile countries, Iranian media sa…
Former minister-in-exile to take top job in independent Kosovo
PRISTINA (Reuters) – A former minister-in-exile during Kosovo’s 1990srebellion against Serbian rule is poised to become the state’s next prime minister, a senior party ally said on Thursday.
UAE official says groups may appeal against inclusion on terror list
DUBAI (Reuters) – Groups placed on a terrorism list by the United Arab Emirates can appeal against the designation if their “approach has changed”, a senior UAE official said on Thursday, after several organizations criticized their inclusion.
Bruised Venezuelan opposition may make headway in 2015
CARACAS (Reuters) – For a much-touted “re-launch” of Venezuela’s opposition, the turnout was poor: only a few hundred activists joined a rally led by the coalition’s new head in Caracas last month.
Sri Lanka president seeks third term, critics want powers curbed
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Thursday he would seek an unprecedented third term as president, prompting one of his lawmakers to join the opposition with a call to curb the presidency’s “draconian powers”.
Ukraine peace outlook is bleak: OSCE official
VIENNA (Reuters) – Prospects for peace in eastern Ukraine are “bleak”, underscoring the need to uphold a shaky ceasefire between government forces and pro-Russian separatist rebels, a senior official from the OSCE security watchdog said on Thursday
U.S. Navy supply ships collide in Indian Ocean, minor damage
RIYADH (Reuters) – Two U.S. Navy supply ships collided in the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean early on Thursday, but no crew members were injured and initial reports suggested the vessels suffered only minor damage, the force said in a statement.
Israel to cooperate with U.N. Gaza war inquiry
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel said on Thursday it would cooperate with a United Nations investigation into Israeli attacks on U.N. facilities during last summer’s Gaza war and the use of U.N. sites by Palestinian militants to store weapons.
