Italy’s Renzi defies opposition over Senate reform
ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has moved a step closer to pushing through constitutional reforms he says will create a more stable government, after a raucous debate that saw opposition parties walk out of parliament.
Kurds, Syrian rebels edge into Islamic State stronghold: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Kurdish forces backed by Syrian insurgent groups took control of a hill inside the provincial stronghold of the militant Islamic State group on Sunday after deadly clashes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Merkel’s conservatives suffer blow in state vote, eurosceptics gain
BERLIN (Reuters) – The anti-euro Alternative for Germany (AfD) party looked set to win its first seats in a regional assembly in the west of the country on Sunday after an election in Hamburg which also saw Angela Merkel’s conservatives suffer their wo…
Rail cars on fire after crude train derails in Ontario, CN says
TORONTO (Reuters) – Seven rail cars were on fire in northern Ontario after a train carrying crude oil derailed late on Saturday night, Canadian National Railway said on Sunday.
Romania sends ambulances to Moldova in tug-of-war with Russia
BALTI, Moldova (Reuters) – A stone’s throw from the mounted T-34 Soviet tank in the center of this Moldovan city is an emergency ambulance service set up by Romania, one of several soft power moves to steer its eastern neighbor away from Moscow’s orbit…
Westerners join Iraqi Christian militia to fight Islamic State
DUHOK, Iraq (Reuters) – Saint Michael, the archangel of battle, is tattooed across the back of a U.S. army veteran who recently returned to Iraq and joined a Christian militia fighting Islamic State in what he sees as a biblical war between good and ev…
‘Misfits’ plotted Valentine’s Day murders in Canada mall: minister
(This Feb 14 story adds police attribution in first paragraph)
Bahrain confirms six-month sentence for opposition official: lawyer
MANAMA (Reuters) – A Bahrain appeals court on Sunday upheld a six-month prison sentence against a senior leader of the main Shi’ite opposition al-Wefaq group handed down last month over tweets about election financing, his lawyer said.
Yemen’s last Jews eye exodus after Islamist militia takeover
SANAA (Reuters) – A few worried families are all that remain of Yemen’s ancient Jewish community, and they too may soon flee after a Shi’ite Muslim militia seized power in the strife-torn country this month.
U.S. says 11 more air strikes carried out against Islamic State
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its coalition partners conducted three air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria and eight in Iraq since Saturday, according to the U.S. military.
