U.S. sends four Guantanamo prisoners home to Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Four Afghans held for over a decade at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been sent home, the Pentagon said on Saturday, the latest step in a gradual push by the Obama administration to close the jail.
Sudan postpones April elections by 11 days: elections committee
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Nationwide elections slated for April 2 will now be held on April 13, the head of Sudan’s elections committee said on Saturday, in a move seen as preventing legal confusion over a constitutional amendment.
Cuba’s Castro says he will attend Americas summit
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuban President Raul Castro confirmed on Saturday he will participate in the Washington-backed Summit of the Americas in Panama in April, potentially setting up his first meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama since the two countri…
Indian PM Modi’s party unlikely to form Jammu & Kashmir government: polls
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party will not win enough seats to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir state, two exit polls showed on Saturday, dampening its hopes of taking control of the state for the first time.
Zambia’s ruling party mends rift to make Lungu its presidential candidate
LUSAKA (Reuters) – Zambia’s ruling party has settled on Defence Minister Edgar Lungu as its presidential candidate, it emerged on Saturday, ending months of in-fighting that had threatened its chances at a Jan. 20 election.
Libya’s official government aims to set up new payment system for oil buyers
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s internationally recognized government aims to set up a new payment system to receive oil revenues, bypassing the central bank based in Tripoli, the capital city that is no longer under its control, its top oil official said …
Exclusive: Iran’s support for Syria tested by oil price drop
AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian businessmen and trade officials say they are worried the economic lifeline provided by Iran is under strain from plunging oil prices, despite public messages of support from Syria’s strongest regional ally.
Turkey’s Erdogan ‘closely following’ legal case against rival cleric
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he is closely following an inquiry into a U.S.-based Islamic preacher and media outlets close to him and dismissed criticism that the case is politically motivated.
Ebola death toll in three African countries hits 7,373: WHO
GENEVA (Reuters) – The death toll from Ebola in the three worst-affected countries in West Africa has risen to 7,373 among 19,031 cases known to date there, the World Health Organization said on Saturday.
Russia calls new sanctions on Crimea ‘collective punishment’
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday new Western sanctions against Ukraine’s Crimea region were a “collective punishment” on residents who voted last March to join Russia, adding it was preparing to retaliate.
