U.N. says donors pledge $3.8 billion to Syria crisis
KUWAIT (Reuters) – International donors have pledged $3.8 billion to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Syria, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at a summit in the Kuwaiti capital on Tuesday.
Libya’s rival parliament sacks PM amid internal divisions: spokesman
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s rival parliament, the General National Congress, on Tuesday sacked the Tripoli-based prime minister, Omar al-Hassi, to counter internal divisions, its spokesman said.
France’s Hollande to press ahead with reforms despite poll losses
BERLIN (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande pledged on Tuesday to press ahead with his reform drive after his ruling Socialist Party suffered heavy losses in weekend local elections.
Vatican defends appointing Chilean bishop accused of hiding abuse
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The Vatican on Tuesday strongly defended its appointment of a bishop in Chile despite protests by critics who have accused him of covering up sexual abuse.
Turkish court acquits all defendants in coup plot trial -lawyer
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish court acquitted all 236 military officers in a retrial over an alleged 2003 plot to unseat then-prime minister Tayyip Erdogan, after the prosecutor said key evidence was inadmissible, a defense lawyer told Reuters.
Milan mosque row shows Italian divisions over integration
MILAN (Reuters) – One afternoon in 2009, over a thousand Muslims knelt before Milan’s Duomo cathedral and prayed. The gesture, ostensibly about an Israeli bombing campaign, focused minds on the growing number of Muslims in Italy’s business capital and …
Poland says sought U.S. assurances over Guantanamo inmate
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s government has sent an official note to U.S. authorities seeking diplomatic assurances that an inmate at the U.S. military jail in Guantanamo Bay will not be subject to the death penalty, the Polish foreign ministry said on …
Greece, lenders, fail to unlock aid so far – officials
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece and its EU/IMF lenders failed to reach an initial deal to unlock aid after the creditors dismissed a package of reforms from Athens as ideas rather than a concrete plan, officials said on Tuesday.
Dilemma for Israel as Palestinians join war crimes court
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The Palestinian Authority becomes the 123rd member of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday, a major step that could move its decades-long conflict with Israel into a courtroom.
Egypt court frees 68 activists in rare move
CAIRO (Reuters) – In an unusual move, an Egyptian court acquitted on Tuesday 68 people, including members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, who were charged with gathering illegally and attacking security forces, judicial sources said.




