Hagel, in Kabul, says Afghans to battle back Taliban threat
KABUL (Reuters) – Outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed confidence in the ability of Afghan forces to defend Kabul following a spike in Taliban strikes as he arrived in the Afghan capital on Saturday for his final trip to Afghanistan as…
China arrests ex-security chief for corruption, leaking secrets
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have arrested former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang and expelled him from the ruling Communist Party, accusing him of crimes ranging from accepting bribes to leaking state secrets and setting the stage for…
Myanmar should investigate girl’s killing, say rights groups
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar’s government should investigate the military’s alleged killing of a 14-year-old girl whose father is being prosecuted for making “false charges” after filing a complaint about the attack, rights groups said Saturday.
UK says signs deal to expand naval presence in Bahrain
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain said on Friday it had sealed a deal to expand and reinforce its naval presence in Bahrain that would allow it to operate more and bigger ships in the Gulf on a long-term basis.
Syria’s al Qaeda offshoot Nusra says it killed Lebanese soldier
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s al Qaeda offshoot Nusra said on Friday it killed a captive Lebanese soldier in retaliation for the arrest by Lebanese authorities of women identified as wives of Islamist militants.
Obama promises more aid, loan guarantees to Jordan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Friday that the United States and its allies are making slow but steady progress in the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, and he pledged new aid to Jordan to grapple with Syri…
Ukraine’s Poroshenko tells army not to give up Donetsk airport
KIEV/DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) – The whole of Ukraine will be within reach of the “enemy” if its armed forces lose control of the international airport in the eastern city of Donetsk to separatists, President Petro Poroshenko said on Friday.
China arrests ex-security chief for corruption, leaking secrets
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have arrested former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang and expelled him from the ruling Communist Party, accusing him of crimes ranging from accepting bribes to leaking state secrets and setting the stage for…
ICC prosecutor withdraws charges against Kenyan president
AMSTERDAM/NAIROBI (Reuters) – Prosecutors dropped charges of crimes against humanity against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, marking a failure for the International Criminal Court in the highest-profile case in its 11-year history.
Ashton to stay on as EU special adviser on Iran nuclear talks
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Britain’s Catherine Ashton will continue to play a key coordinating role in negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program despite stepping down as the European Union’s foreign policy chief.
