Palestinian unity frays, hurting Gaza’s rebuilding and statehood aims
GAZA (Reuters) – Escalating tension between Islamist group Hamas and its Western-backed rival Fatah has pushed their “unity” government to the brink of collapse, harming efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip and complicating Palestinian statehood ambitions…
Eighteen air strikes target Islamic State in Syria, Iraq: U.S.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S.-led forces launched 18 air strikes against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq in the past 24 hours, the U.S. military said on Wednesday.
Report counts cost of prolonged war in South Sudan
NAIROBI (Reuters) – South Sudan’s conflict could cost regional nations Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania a combined $53 billion if it lasts another five years as they deal with refugees, security needs and other spillover effects, a report sa…
Al Qaeda in Syria kills woman accused of adultery: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Al Qaeda’s Syria wing, Nusra Front, shot dead a woman in the northwest of the country after accusing her of adultery, a monitoring group said on Wednesday, saying it showed such execution-style killings were not confined to the milit…
China to inspect major state-owned enterprises in anti-graft drive
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese anti-graft authorities will inspect all major state-owned enterprises this year, state media reported on Wednesday, as the country widens a sprawling campaign against corruption.
Asia maritime piracy attacks rise to 75 percent of global total
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asia accounted for three-quarters of global maritime piracy last year after a surge in tanker hijackings helped to fuel a 22 percent jump in armed robbery and pirate attacks on ships in the region.
Hong Kong leader warns of ‘anarchy’; opposition disrupts session
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying warned pro-democracy protesters on Wednesday they risked “anarchy” as he sought to bolster his support in his first policy address since demonstrations rocked the financial hub last year.
U.S. couple stand trial for grisly Bali suitcase murder
DENPASAR, Indonesia (Reuters) – A U.S. man and his pregnant girlfriend went on trial on Wednesday for the murder of the woman’s mother, whose battered body was found stuffed in a suitcase on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali last August.
UK’s Cameron under pressure to appear in pre-election TV debates
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron came under concerted pressure on Wednesday from political rivals to join a series of pre-election TV debates he has said he will boycott unless the smaller left-leaning Green Party is also include…
Russia will not cut itself off from world: Medvedev
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia will not cut itself off from the world because any return to the past would be a “monstrous mistake”, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.
