Islamic State keeps up Syrian oil flow despite U.S-led strikes
AMMAN (Reuters) – Islamic State is still extracting and selling oil in Syria and has adapted its trading techniques despite a month of strikes by U.S.-led forces aimed at cutting off this major source of income for the group, residents, oil executives …
Brazil poll shows Neves leading election, at odds with major surveys
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Opposition candidate Aecio Neves has a shrinking lead over President Dilma Rousseff in Brazil’s presidential race, an outlying poll showed on Friday, at odds with major pollsters that report a growing lead for the incumbent.
Masked men burn two Saudi Arabia consulate cars in Egypt: sources
CAIRO/ISMAILIA (Reuters) – Masked men set fire to two cars belonging to the consulate of Saudi Arabia in the Egyptian city of Suez on Friday morning, local security sources and the state news agency reported.
Restore EU borders, France’s Le Pen says amid Calais tensions
CALAIS France (Reuters) – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, seizing on tensions over illegal immigrants in the northern port town of Calais, called on Friday for urgent reintroduction of internal border controls that were banished across much of E…
Ground offensive against Islamic State months away in Iraq: U.S.
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE Florida (Reuters) – Iraqi forces are months away from being able to start waging any kind of sustained ground offensive against the Islamic State and any similar effort in Syria will take longer, officials at the U.S. military’s …
Canadian couple accused of spying in China held in near isolation, son says
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Canadian couple accused of spying near China’s sensitive border with North Korea have been kept separately in near isolation for more than 80 days and denied access to legal counsel, their son said on Friday.
Exclusive: Chad says Nigeria deal with Boko Haram to free girls still on
N’DJAMENA (Reuters) – Chad said it believed Nigeria’s secret deal with Boko Haram Islamists to free more than 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls would go ahead despite the breakdown of a truce, and revealed that the key to the agreement was a prisoner …
Uruguay’s left in battle to retain presidency, and marijuana law
MONTEVIDEO (Reuters) – Uruguayan voters decide on Sunday whether to give the ruling coalition another term after a decade of strong growth and leftist reforms, or turn to an opposition candidate who says legalizing marijuana production was a step too f…
Algeria’s Bouteflika consolidates curbs on state intelligence agency
ALGIERS (Reuters) – President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has signed a decree to curb the presence of Algeria’s military intelligence service in public institutions, government sources said, to downgrade his rivals and ensure a smooth transition when he steps…
Botswana votes in poll set to test ruling party dynasty
GABORONE (Reuters) – Botswanans went to the polls on Friday in an election that is expected to see President Ian Khama’s ruling party win a reduced majority as young and middle-class voters send out a warning to a political dynasty which has ruled for …