Germany and Italy to keep up to 1,350 soldiers in Afghanistan
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany and Italy plan to keep a total of up to 1,350 soldiers in Afghanistan in 2015 to help train local armed forces, their defense ministries said on Tuesday, a slightly larger contingent than had been previously expected.
Bank data scheme to combat people trafficking to be extended to Europe
LONDON (Reuters) – A data sharing scheme which has involved U.S. financial institutions helping New York prosecutors uncover human trafficking cases is to be extended to Europe, one of its organizers said on Tuesday.
Chinese villagers clash with police over leprosy, STD facility
BEIJING (Reuters) – Villagers in a southern Chinese island town clashed with police and smashed vehicles after the local government began construction on a center to house patients with leprosy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Cambodia’s government uses courts to silence critics: U.N. rapporteur
GENEVA (Reuters) – Cambodia’s government is using the country’s judiciary to silence opposition parties and other critics of its policies, a United Nations investigator said on Tuesday.
Japan PM to seek fresh mandate for ‘Abenomics’ with snap poll
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday that he would call an early election to seek a fresh mandate for his economic policies, and postpone an unpopular sales tax rise, a day after data showed the economy had slipped back …
Iran parliament spurns Rouhani pick for universities minister for 4th time
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s parliament on Tuesday rejected for the fourth time President Hassan Rouhani’s nominee to head the sensitive Ministry of Higher Education in a further setback to his attempts to liberalize universities.
Kafando sworn in as Burkina Faso transitional president
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – Michel Kafando was sworn in as transitional president of Burkina Faso on Tuesday, faced with the task of leading the West African country to elections in a year following a brief military takeover.
Brazil’s Rousseff responsible for Petrobras graft, opposition says
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff is politically responsible for a growing money-laundering and bribery scandal at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, although she was probably not personally involved enough to justify i…
Turkey fears influx of 2-3 million more Syrian refugees
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey could face an influx of 2-3 million more Syrian refugees if President Bashar al-Assad’s forces or Islamic State insurgents advance around Aleppo, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.
Russia sees no chance of breakthrough on Ukraine in German minister’s visit
KIEV (Reuters) – Germany’s foreign minister said he would assess the chances of making progress to end the crisis in Ukraine during talks in Moscow on Tuesday but Russia said it saw no chance of a breakthrough.
