Judge frees Austrian teens seized on way to marry jihadists
VIENNA (Reuters) – Two Austrian teenage girls intercepted on their way to marry fighters of the insurgent group Islamic State (IS) walked free from custody on Tuesday when a judge issued a preliminary ruling that they had committed no crime.
Divers retrieve crashed AirAsia jet’s cockpit voice recorder
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian divers pulled out the cockpit voice recorder from the sunken wreckage of an AirAsia passenger jet on Tuesday, a key step towards determining the cause of the crash that killed all 162 people aboard.
Activists, executives advise Thailand how to tackle trafficking
BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Thailand must empower victims of trafficking and forced labor to complain and must crack down on corrupt officials if it wants to tackle its human trafficking problem, activists and food industry executives say.
U.S. to back $2 billion in loan guarantees for Ukraine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States plans to provide up to $2 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine this year, the U.S. Treasury said on Tuesday, as part of a broader international package to stave off bankruptcy.
Hungarian ruling party’s poll lead slips, far-right benefits
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party slipped further in January, an opinion poll by Ipsos showed on Monday, with the far-right Jobbik party gaining most from its decline.
Thousands flee Nigeria after Boko Haram attack, Niger, Chad struggle
DAKAR/NIAMEY (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Some 20,000 Nigerians have fled to Chad, Niger and Cameroon in the past two weeks after their towns and villages were attacked by Islamist sect Boko Haram, according to the United Nations and government figur…
Pope says Sri Lanka should seek ‘truth’ over civil war
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Pope Francis called on Sri Lanka to uncover the truth of what happened during its bloody civil war as part of a healing process between religious communities, as he arrived in Colombo a few days after the island’s wartime leaders we…
Shell hits bus in eastern Ukraine, 10 killed: regional spokesman
KIEV (Reuters) – At least 10 people were killed and 13 were injured when a shell struck a passenger bus at a government army checkpoint in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, a regional press spokesman said.
Slovenia arrests man accused of sending poison letter to Czech officials
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) – An Italian man has been arrested in Slovenia on suspicion of sending envelopes laced with poison to Czech officials, police said.
U.S.-led air strike hit Islamic State fighters: task force
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military and its partner nations have conducted four more air strikes against Islamic State in Syria and seven air strikes in Iraq, the task force leading the operation said on Tuesday.
