Hong Kong students put their case to government, but no breakthrough
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Thousands of Hong Kong protesters listened raptly from the streets on Tuesday as student leaders debated their call for full democracy for the Chinese-run city with government leaders to try end a weeks-long occupation of major tr…
Investors skeptical of Rousseff’s options for Brazil finance chief
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Whoever President Dilma Rousseff picks to head Brazil’s finance ministry if she is re-elected on Sunday will likely get a cold welcome from investors, who are skeptical that the leftist leader will stop dictating policy herself.
Baghdad restaurant bombs kill 21
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A series of bombs targeting restaurants across Baghdad killed at least 21 people on Tuesday, police and medics said.
Palestinians downbeat on promised rebuilding of ruined Gaza Strip
GAZA/RAMALLAH West Bank (Reuters) – The first torrential downpour of an approaching winter has already soaked the Gaza Strip, compounding the misery of thousands of Palestinians who scrambled to patch homes wrecked by the summer war with Israel.
Special Report: U.S. visa program for crime victims is hit-or-miss prospect
(Reuters) – It was the week of Chinese New Year, and Jian Zhen Huang was climbing her sister’s doorstep in Brooklyn with cups and other supplies for the celebration inside. Suddenly, a young man grabbed her, punched her in the face several times, knocked her down to the pavement and stole her phone.
Islamic State wins ground from Syrian government in east: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State won territory from Syrian government forces in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Tuesday, its first gain there in about two months, a group that tracks the civil war reported.
Iraqi refugees in Lebanon ‘left behind, forgotten’: charity
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Thousands of Iraqi refugees in Lebanon face a daily struggle to survive because of a lack of jobs and the rising cost of food and accommodation, a Catholic charity said on Tuesday.
Pakistani Taliban sack influential spokesman as divisions grow
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – The Pakistani Taliban have sacked the movement’s influential spokesman, according to a statement received by Reuters on Tuesday, in a sign of growing divisions within the deeply fractured group.
Britain sends drones to fly surveillance missions over Syria
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain said on Tuesday it was authorizing spy planes and armed drones to fly surveillance missions over Syria “very shortly” in order to gather intelligence on Islamic State (IS) militants.
Pope to visit Turkey as region’s Christians flee Islamic State persecution
ROME (Reuters) – Pope Francis will travel to Turkey next month, the Vatican said on Tuesday, his first visit to the predominantly Muslim country which has become a refuge for Christians fleeing persecution by Islamic State militants in neighboring Syri…
