2014 deadliest year in Iraq for civilians since 2006-7 bloodshed: U.N.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Violence in Iraq in 2014 killed at least 12,282 civilians, making it the deadliest year since the sectarian bloodshed of 2006-07, the United Nations said in a statement.
North Korea leader’s sister marries son of senior official: Yonhap
SEOUL (Reuters) – The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has married the son of one of the country’s most powerful officials, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources.
Saudi Arabia captures Shi’ites suspected of instigating unrest
DOHA (Reuters) – Saudi security forces have arrested a man believed to belong to a Shi’ite Muslim group blamed for instigating protests and unrest in the country’s Eastern Province, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.
Libya extinguishes fire at biggest oil terminal: officials
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – Libya has extinguished a fire at oil storage tanks at the country’s biggest oil port, Es Sider, that had been raging for a week, officials said on Friday.
Senior Chinese diplomat sacked for corruption
BEIJING (Reuters) – A senior Chinese diplomat has been sacked and is under investigation for suspected corruption, the foreign ministry said on Friday, the first time a top diplomat has fallen victim to a sweeping campaign against graft.
China demands answers after stampede in financial hub Shanghai
SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese state media and the public criticized the government and police on Friday for failing to prevent a New Year’s Eve stampede in Shanghai that killed 36 people and dented the city’s image as modern China’s global finan…
Jailed Australian journalist seeks presidential deportation from Egypt
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The lawyer for jailed Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste has formally applied to the Egyptian government for the Australian’s deportation, his family said on Friday, after Egypt’s highest court ordered a retrial for Greste and two co…
Ukraine says rebels keep up attacks into New Year
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian separatists carried out sporadic attacks on government forces as the New Year began, wounding three soldiers, the Kiev military said, as President Petro Poroshenko told the nation to brace for a year that would “not be easy”….
Syria’s Assad shown hugging troops in embattled Damascus district
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 Twitter late on Wednesday, posting pictures of the rare trip.
Libya sees more progress in extinguishing fire at eastern oil terminal
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya has made more progress in extinguishing a fire at oil storage tanks at the country’s biggest oil port, Es Sider, that has been raging for one week, a member of a firefighting crew said on Thursday.
