Colombian war victims urge ceasefire during peace talks
HAVANA (Reuters) – Colombian war victims demanded a bilateral ceasefire to halt Latin America’s longest running conflict on Wednesday in a direct challenge to President Juan Manuel Santos, who has resisted rebel calls for a ceasefire during peace talks…
Obama prepared to authorize air strikes in Syria against Islamic State
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will vow on Wednesday to attack Islamic State militants “wherever they exist” in a speech to Americans expected to lay out a strategy for expanding U.S. air strikes in Iraq and, for the first time, striking…
Brazil’s Rousseff catching up to rival in new election poll
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff closed ground on opposition candidate Marina Silva in a new poll on Wednesday simulating a likely second-round runoff in October.
Obama shifts on Syrian rebels, but is it too late?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Struggling Syrian rebels that President Barack Obama once derided as “former doctors, farmers, pharmacists and so forth” now form a key pillar of the U.S. leader’s strategy to beat back the militant insurgency known as Islamic St…
Ukraine says Russia withdrawing forces from east, sees boost for peace
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s president said on Wednesday Russia had removed the bulk of its forces from his country, raising hopes for a peace drive now underway after five months of conflict in which more than 3,000 people have been killed.
British PM begs Scots not to break up ‘family of nations’
EDINBURGH (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday begged Scots not to rip apart the United Kingdom’s “family of nations”, flying to Scotland to man the barricades against a surge in support for independence eight days before a ref…
Israeli policeman charged over violent arrest of U.S. teen
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – An Israeli policeman was charged on Wednesday with assault causing bodily harm against a 15-year-old American of Palestinian descent during a protest over the revenge killing of the teenager’s cousin days before the eight week war…
Second explosive device detonates in Chilean supermarket
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Two explosive devices were detonated within a span of 24 hours in the Chilean coastal city of Vina del Mar, causing at least three minor injuries, in the same week the Andean country suffered its worst bomb attack in at least 20 ye…
UK blames Assad regime after watchdog documents chlorine attacks
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The global chemical-weapons watchdog found evidence that chlorine gas was used “systematically and repeatedly” as a weapon in northern Syria, where witnesses described poison barrel bombs crashing into their villages from the sky,…
Obama authorizes $25 million in immediate military aid to Iraq: White House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama authorized $25 million in “immediate military assistance” on Wednesday for the Iraqi government and Kurdistan Regional Government to help with military education and training, according to a memorandum post…