Syria’s Assad pictured at Eid prayers in Damascus
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has made a rare public appearance at a mosque in Damascus at the start of a Muslim holiday, a photo posted on the presidency’s official Twitter feed on Saturday showed.
North Korea may have shut down reactor: U.S. think-tank
VIENNA (Reuters) – North Korea may have shut down a recently restarted reactor which can yield plutonium for bombs, possibly for renovation or partial refueling, a U.S. security institute said, citing new satellite imagery.
Thai king readmitted to hospital: palace statement
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, was readmitted to a Bangkok hospital late on Friday after leaving it last month, the palace said in an announcement on Saturday.
Kurds call to arms as Islamic State closes in on Syrian town
SURUC Turkey/BEIRUT (Reuters) – The main Kurdish armed group in Syria called on its kinsmen across the region to help it stop a massacre in the Syrian town of Kobani as Islamic State militants armed with tanks edged closer on its outskirts and pummeled…
Islamic State says beheads British hostage in new video
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State militants fighting in Iraq and Syria posted a video on Friday that appeared to show the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning, triggering condemnation by the British and U.S. governments.
12 Libya soldiers killed in new Benghazi battle with Islamists: medic
BENGHAZI Libya – At least 12 Libyan soldiers were killed and 45 wounded on Friday in fresh clashes with Islamist militants near the airport of the eastern city of Benghazi, a medic said.
U.S. says North Korea must take meaningful steps for talks to resume
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States responded on Friday to an offer by North Korea to resume talks on its nuclear program by reiterating that Pyongyang must first take meaningful steps toward denuclearization and refrain from provocative acts.
Obama envoy sees long road ahead in war with Islamic State
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The U.S. envoy charged by President Barack Obama with building a coalition to fight the militant group Islamic State warned on Friday that the war against the jihadists was in its early stages.
Exclusive: Gifts for Cubans end in 15-year sentence for Canadian CEO
HAVANA (Reuters) – Dinners at fancy restaurants, week-long family vacations and a flat-screen TV: the bribes that Cuba accused Canadian businessman Cy Tokmakjian of giving Cuban officials were modest by corruption standards in many developing nations.
Violence in eastern Ukraine strains ceasefire: U.S. official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Violence in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists has put a strain on a ceasefire clinched nearly a month ago between the sides, the State Department said on Friday.
