Syria’s Assad visits embattled Damascus district: presidency
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited a district on the outskirts of Damascus and thanked soldiers fighting “in the face of terrorism”, his office said on its Twitter account on Wednesday, posting pictures of the rare trip.
Lithuania joins euro as tensions with neighboring Russia rise
VILNIUS (Reuters) – Lithuania joined the euro zone at the stroke of midnight on Thursday, hoping to anchor itself in Europe as its former master Russia flexes its military muscle in the region.
Palestinians join war crimes court after U.N. rejection
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed on to 20 international agreements on Wednesday, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a day after a bid for independence by 2017 failed at the Un…
At least 26 killed in Yemen suicide bombing: security official
SANAA (Reuters) – A suicide bomber killed at least 26 people in central Yemen on Wednesday when he blew himself up at a cultural center where students were celebrating the Prophet Mohammad’s birthday, a security official said.
New Year’s Eve stampede kills 35 on Shanghai’s Bund tourist strip
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – A stampede killed at least 35 people and injured 43 during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Shanghai, on the city’s famed waterfront tourist strip known as the Bund, authorities said.
Pope condemns alleged corruption in Rome, says city needs ‘moral renewal’
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis condemned on Wednesday administrators and criminals in Rome who allegedly pocketed public funds meant to help poor migrants, saying the eternal city needed a “spiritual and moral renewal”.
At least six killed by suicide bomb in bus in Nigeria’s Yobe state: witness
KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) – At least six people were killed and others were injured when a suicide bomb went off in a bus in Fika in Nigeria’s northeast Yobe state on Wednesday, one of the injured told Reuters.
Killing of eight in Canada a ‘deliberate’ attack: police
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – The suspected killer of eight people in Edmonton, Canada, had a criminal record dating back to 1987 and used a stolen handgun in the murders before killing himself in domestic violence that was “planned, deliberate and targ…
Italy president says he will step down soon
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s 89-year-old President Giorgio Napolitano said on Wednesday that he would step down soon because of his age, leaving Prime Minister Matteo Renzi facing a delicate political challenge to replace him.
Five dead in New Year’s Eve clashes on India-Pakistan border
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) – Indian border forces killed four Pakistani interior-ministry troops on New Year’s Eve, ending a year in which clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors have escalated and hopes for reconciliation faded.
