EU bans export of jet fuel used by Syrian air force
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union governments agreed on Friday to ban the export of jet fuel to Syria from Sunday, saying it was being used by the Syrian air force for indiscriminate attacks against civilians.
Jailed China Nobel laureate asks in message to remember others
BEIJING (Reuters) – Jailed Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has managed to send a rare message to a friend living outside China saying he is fine but the world should not forget others like him who have been locked up.
German union calls new strike at Amazon warehouses
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German union Verdi has called a fresh three-day strike at five Amazon warehouses, increasing pressure on the online retailer during the busy pre-Christmas period in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
Exclusive: Cash-strapped Iraq seeks Kuwait war reparation delay
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq is seeking to postpone a final $4.6 billion installment of reparations for its 1990-91 occupation of Kuwait, Finance Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told Reuters, as it faces a cash crisis caused by falling oil prices and war with Isl…
Syrian rebel ‘hell cannons’ kill 300 civilians: monitoring group
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian rebels using improvised mortar bombs made of cooking gas canisters killed 311 civilians between July and December this year, a monitoring group said on Friday, condemning the use of the wildly inaccurate weapons.
Sri Lankan government denies using state resources to skew poll
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s government has denied allegations made by a group of independent monitors that it is using state resources to give an unfair advantage to President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is running for an unprecedented third term in next…
Don’t vote ‘wrong’ way, EU’s Juncker urges Greeks
VIENNA (Reuters) – The European Union’s chief executive has given Greeks a stark and unusual warning of major problems if they vote the “wrong” way and radicals win an early parliamentary election.
EU resumes aid to Mali, halted over suspected irregularities
BAMAKO (Reuters) – The European Union has resumed aid to Mali which it suspended in June due to suspected irregularities in government spending, including the purchase of a $40 million presidential jet, the Malian government announced on Friday.
Miners swell rebel ranks in east Ukraine as pits close
DONETSK, Ukraine/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Even at the age of 52, retired coalminer Viktor felt compelled to come out of retirement and join the pro-Russian separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine defense chief wants budget doubled to fight separatists
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s defense minister called on Friday for a doubling of the military budget next year to allow the army to buy weapons abroad and better equip itself to fight Russian-backed separatists in the east.
