Sri Lanka releases 572 prisoners to mark pope visit
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka released nearly 600 prisoners and reduced jail terms for others on Wednesday to mark Pope Francis’ visit and his proclamation of the country’s first saint.
Bulgaria to extend fence at Turkish border to bar refugee influx
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria said on Wednesday it would extend a barbed wire fence along its border with Turkey by a further 130 km (80 miles) in an attempt to prevent a growing number of refugees, mainly from Syria, entering the European Union member st…
Minister says spy agencies don’t have enough powers to protect UK
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s failure to pass a law forcing communications firms to collect and store online data is endangering lives and weakening the country’s ability to protect itself, Theresa May, the interior minister, warned on Wednesday.
Italian President Napolitano departs, setting challenge for Renzi
ROME (Reuters) – Italian President Giorgio Napolitano handed in his resignation as head of state on Wednesday, leaving Prime Minister Matteo Renzi with the politically delicate task of finding a successor.
Ship finds crashed AirAsia jet’s fuselage at bottom of Java Sea
JAKARTA/PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia (Reuters) – A military vessel on Wednesday located the fuselage of the AirAsia passenger jet that crashed more than two weeks ago off the coast of Indonesia, raising hopes that more bodies will be found.
NATO’s Stoltenberg urges Russia to drop support for Ukraine separatists
BERLIN (Reuters) – The head of NATO urged Russia on Wednesday to drop its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
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…
