Colombia says rebel chief has been to Cuba for peace talks
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombian guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londono has traveled secretly to Cuba several times in the last year to meet with his team of negotiators as part of peace talks to end 50 years of civil war, Colombian officials said on Thursday.
Anti-EU party poised to win first British parliament seat
CLACTON-ON-SEA England (Reuters) – Britain’s anti-EU UK Independence Party was poised to win its first elected seat in parliament on Thursday, highlighting the threat it poses to Prime Minister David Cameron seven months before a national election.
Macedonia checking for Ebola after Briton dies, hotel sealed off
SKOPJE (Reuters) – Macedonia said it was checking for the Ebola virus in a British man who died within hours of being admitted to hospital in the capital Skopje on Thursday.
EU nominee bows to lawmakers’ snub as Juncker team near complete
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The incoming head of the EU executive, Jean-Claude Juncker, was in urgent talks with Slovenia’s prime minister on Thursday to find a replacement for the Slovenian who quit his team after a humiliating rejection by the European Parl…
U.N. draft urges ICC referral for North Korea, but Pyongyang fights back
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – A draft resolution urges the U.N. General Assembly recommend the referral of North Korea to The Hague for crimes against humanity, prompting Pyongyang to take the unusual step of proposing its own text praising its human righ…
Accused Colombian drug kingpin pleads guilty in U.S. to money laundering scheme
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Colombian accused of being a drug kingpin and pursued for years by U.S. authorities pleaded guilty in New York on Thursday to a charge that he conspired to illegally launder tens of millions of dollars in cocaine trafficking prof…
Greek PM faces confidence vote, seeks to quell snap election fears
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras seeks a confidence vote on Friday to rally support for his plan to abandon a widely-reviled EU/IMF aid package and end mounting speculation that his government is on its last legs.
Hong Kong calls off talks with student activists as city leader investigated
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong called off talks with protesting students on Thursday, dealing a heavy blow to attempts to defuse a political crisis that has seen tens of thousands take to the streets to demand free elections and calling for leader Leu…
Special Report: How Syria policy stalled under the ‘analyst in chief’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Throughout 2012, as signs mounted that militants in Syria were growing stronger, the debate in the White House followed a pattern. In meeting after meeting, as officials from agencies outside the executive residence advocated arming pro-Western rebels or other forms of action, President Barack Obama’s closest White House aides bluntly delivered the president’s verdict: no.
Suicide bombings in Yemen kill 67 after premier quits
SANAA (Reuters) – Suicide bombers targeting Yemen’s powerful Shi’ite Houthi group and an army camp killed at least 67 people in two separate attacks on Thursday, hours after a political crisis forced the new prime minister to step down.
