U.S.-led air strikes killed 521 fighters, 32 civilians in Syria: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Air strikes by U.S.-led forces have killed 521 Islamist fighters and 32 civilians during a month-long campaign in Syria, a monitoring group which tracks the violence said on Thursday.
Three Azeri workers die in offshore platform accident
BAKU (Reuters) – Three workers were killed and one is still missing after an accident at one of the offshore oil and gas platforms in the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan, Azeri state energy company SOCAR said on Thursday.
Islamic State militants seize Iraq village, press assault on Yazidis
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Islamic State wrested a Sunni Muslim village in western Iraq on Thursday from tribal defenders who put up weeks of fierce resistance, and the insurgents tightened a siege of the Yazidi minority on a mountain in the north.
Cash aid for refugees succeeds despite donors’ doubts
BEIRUT (Reuters) – For decades, aid groups have assumed they know what’s best for refugees and the poor; a growing body of evidence suggests they’re wrong.
Economic bounce, tough campaign point to Rousseff win in Brazil
MATEUS LEME Brazil (Reuters) – President Dilma Rousseff looks positioned to narrowly win a second term on Sunday thanks to a slight rebound in the economy and her success in portraying her rival as an elitist who would take Brazil back to a more heartl…
Pistorius shoves race, crime and punishment in South Africa’s face
PRETORIA (Reuters) – As Oscar Pistorius spent his first day behind bars this week, a suspected child rapist and murderer went on trial at the same Pretoria court in a case that has also provoked fierce debate about crime and punishment in post-aparthei…
U.N. rights watchdog calls for open elections in Hong Kong
GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations Human Rights Committee called on China on Thursday to ensure universal suffrage in Hong Kong, stressing that included the right to stand for election as well as the right to vote.
Ukrainian PM warns Russia may try to disrupt Sunday’s election
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s prime minister warned on Thursday of possible attempts by Russia to disrupt an election in Ukraine at the weekend, a vote being held against a background of Russian support for separatist rebels and an unresolved row over gas…
Zimbabwe’s first lady says Mugabe’s deputy should resign
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s First Lady Grace Mugabe said on Thursday deputy president Joice Mujuru, potential successor to her 90-year-old husband Robert Mugabe, should resign, in an attack likely to widen divisions in the ruling party.
Colombia to intensify battle against smuggling
BOGOTA (Reuters) – The battle against contraband is set to become a focal point for Colombia’s armed forces as the risk to the economy and security matches the dangers of drug trafficking to the Andean nation, the head of the fiscal police said.
