U.S. denies Cuba resisting release of several prisoners on list
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A White House official on Wednesday denied that the Cuban government was resisting freeing some of the 53 people listed for release as part of a thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations on the grounds they had been linked to violence.
U.S.-led air strikes have hit 3,222 Islamic State targets: Pentagon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria have damaged or destroyed 3,222 targets since August, including 58 tanks, 184 Humvees, 673 fighting positions and 980 buildings or barracks, the Pentagon said…
U.S. says Palestine not qualify to be part of ICC: State Department
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States does not believe Palestine is a sovereign state and therefore does not qualify to be part of the International Criminal Court, the State Department said on Wednesday.
FBI questions U.S.-based Gambian civil society leader over coup plot
DAKAR/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Gambian civil society leader based in the United States said on Wednesday he had been questioned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation over a failed coup plot allegedly planned on U.S. soil.
Merkel says wants Greece to stay in euro zone
LONDON (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a visit to London on Wednesday that Greece had respected its financial commitments to its European partners in recent years and she expected this to continue, dismissing suggestions of a po…
Aid agencies rule out ‘preferred option’ of moving storm-hit Syrian refugees
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Aid agencies dismissed on Wednesday the idea of relocating hundreds of thousands of storm-hit Syrian refugees across the Middle East, citing the large number of refugees, a shortage of funding and a lack of authori…
UK’s Prince Andrew steps up denial of underage sex
LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – (Corrects story published on Jan 4 to add source to first paragraph. Also corrects paragraph four to show that Buckingham Palace has not identified Jane Doe #3 as Virginia Roberts.)
EU chair Latvia sees ‘opening’ with Russia on Ukraine
RIGA (Reuters) – Latvia, which has taken over as chair of European Union government meetings, believes Russia may be more willing to negotiate a deal to ease tensions over Ukraine, its foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Spanish newspapers call in police over suspect packages
MADRID (Reuters) – Several Spanish media companies called in police as a precautionary measure on Wednesday after receiving suspicious packages, including one at El Pais publisher Prisa which is no longer considered to pose a threat.
German government agrees to keep Patriot missiles in Turkey until 2016
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s cabinet on Wednesday agreed to keep two German Patriot missile batteries in southern Turkey for another year, where they are deployed as part of a NATO mission to defend Turkey’s border with Syria.
