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…
Swedish opposition’s lead widens slightly as election nears: poll
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – The Swedish centre-left opposition’s lead over the ruling coalition has widened slightly to 6.2 percentage points days before Sept. 14 elections, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday.
Kenyan governor cleared of involvement in mass killings
MOMBASA (Reuters) – A Kenyan governor was cleared on Wednesday of involvement in attacks that killed 65 people in his area, part of a surge of violence along the coast this summer.
New EU Commission gives key economic posts to France, Britain
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The incoming head of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, unveiled an EU executive team on Wednesday that handed key economic responsibilities to French and British politicians but overseen by others in a new-look hierarch…
Dozens join hunger strike for release of Egypt political prisoners
CAIRO (Reuters) – Dozens of Egyptians have begun a hunger strike to demand the release of activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, a symbol of the 2011 uprising, and others they say are being unfairly detained in an effort to crush new-found freedoms.
Israeli troops kill Palestinian during West Bank raid
RAMALLAH West Bank (Reuters) – Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian on Wednesday during a raid on a West Bank refugee camp, Palestinian medics and the Israeli military said.
