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…
Kerry in Iraq backs government, says Baghdad a partner against Islamic State
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday endorsed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s plans to mend Baghdad’s relations with Sunnis and Kurds, and said Iraq was a partner in the fight against Islamic State militants.
U.N.’s Ban urges Assad to seek political solution to Syria crisis
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged President Bashar al-Assad to seek a political solution to Syria’s war, saying this would help international efforts against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, al-Hayat newspaper rep…
Tempers flare as mass flood evacuations begin in Kashmir
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Floods that have killed 450 people in India and Pakistan began to recede on Wednesday giving rescue teams a chance to evacuate thousands of villagers stranded by the heaviest rainfall in 50 years in the heavily militarized and dis…
