Rocket fire on Iraqi Shi’ite pilgrim city kills one
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – One person was killed by rocket fire on Friday in the Iraqi city of Kerbala where huge crowds of Shi’ite pilgrims have gathered for religious ceremonies, a local police commander said.
Shots fired at Israeli embassy in Athens
ATHENS (Reuters) – Unidentified assailants opened fire on the Israeli embassy in Athens with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in the early hours of Friday, police said, but no injuries or damage were reported.
Uganda’s Museveni calls on African nations to quit the ICC
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni on Friday called on African nations to drop out of the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court, amid accusations that it unfairly targets Africans.
Clashes as Italian unions strike over Renzi labor reforms
ROME (Reuters) – Demonstrators clashed with police in Milan and Turin on Friday as two Italian unions held a nationwide strike, the latest in a series of protests against labor reforms that would make it easier for firms to lay off workers.
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…
