Colombia’s ELN rebels free Dutch citizen
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s Marxist ELN rebels have freed a Dutch citizen kidnapped in January, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday after facilitating his liberation.
Thousands protest against Houthi rule in Yemen after embassies close
SANAA (Reuters) – Yemenis in the capital Sanaa and the central city of Taiz held the largest protests yet against a takeover by a Shi’ite Muslim militia group on Wednesday after the United States, Britain and France shut their embassies over security f…
Obama administration weighs Afghan request to slow withdrawal of U.S. troops
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama is considering a request from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to slow the pace of the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a senior administration official said on Wednesday.
Afghan Taliban now smuggle drugs and gems like mafia: U.N. report
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s Taliban Islamist movement is increasingly financed by criminal enterprises including heroin laboratories, illegal ruby and emerald mines and kidnapping, making negotiated peace harder, according to a report for the U.N. …
Spanish court accuses officers in case of refugees who drowned
MADRID (Reuters) – A Spanish court on Thursday accused 16 law enforcement officers of using disproportionate force against African refugees who were trying to swim to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, a spokesman for Spain’s Civil Guard said on Wednesday.
Myanmar president enacts law allowing referendum on disputed constitution
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar’s president has approved a law allowing a referendum on changes to the constitution, lawmakers said on Wednesday, a move that could eventually lift what amounts to a ban on opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Ky…
More than 300 migrants died this week trying to reach Italy: U.N. agency
ROME (Reuters) – More than 300 people died trying to cross the sea from Africa to Italy this week, the U.N. refugee agency said on Wednesday, adding pressure on Europe to expand a border operation that lacks a clear mandate to save lives.
Libyan factions hold U.N.-backed peace talks
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – U.N. negotiators resumed talks on Wednesday with delegates from Libya’s warring factions, holding separate meetings with rival parties in the latest attempt to end the OPEC oil producer’s political crisis and broker a ceasefire.
Pakistani al Qaeda suspect goes on trial in U.S. for bomb plot charges
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Pakistan-born man went on trial on Wednesday on U.S. charges that he took part in an al Qaeda plot to carry out bombing attacks in the United States and Europe in 2008 and 2009.
Obama seeks war authorization from Congress to fight Islamic State
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama sent Congress a proposal on Wednesday for authorization to use military force against Islamic State that would limit the operation to three years and bar any large-scale invasion by U.S. ground troops….
