Ukraine seeks to join NATO; defiant Putin compares Kiev to Nazis
LAKE SELIGER Russia/KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine called on Friday for full membership in NATO, its strongest plea yet for Western military help, after accusing Russia of sending in armored columns that have driven back its forces on behalf of pro-Moscow re…
Suriname leader’s son pleads guilty to trying to help Hezbollah
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Suriname President Desi Bouterse’s son pleaded guilty on Friday to charges of attempting to aid Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, and conspiring to import cocaine into the United States.
Colombia arrests suspected drug trafficker for major Mexico cartel
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombian authorities have arrested a Costa Rican man accused of trafficking shipments of cocaine to the United States on behalf of Mexico’s infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Pentagon says Iraq operations costing on average $7.5 million per day
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. military operations against Islamic State in Iraq have cost an average of $7.5 million per day since they began in mid-June, the Pentagon said on Friday, a figure that means the department has spent more than $500 million on…
Pakistan PM tries to distance himself from army as crisis drags on
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s prime minister, weakened by weeks of opposition protests calling for him to resign, distanced himself from an army move to intervene in the crisis on Friday, saying he was not turning to the military for help to defuse …
U.S. slaps more sanctions on Iranian banks, firms
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Friday penalized a number of Iranian and other foreign companies, banks and airlines for violating sanctions against Tehran largely tied to its nuclear program.
U.N. tries to locate Fijian peacekeepers seized on Golan Heights
QUNEITRA Golan Heights (Reuters) – U.N. officials shuttled along the rocky frontier between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Friday, trying to establish the whereabouts of 44 United Nations peacekeepers seized by al-Qaeda-linked militant…
Syrian refugees top 3 million, half of all Syrians displaced: U.N.
GENEVA (Reuters) – Three million Syrian refugees will have registered in neighboring countries as of Friday, but many remain trapped by the advance of Islamist militants or are having difficulty in reaching open border crossings, the United Nations sai…
Silence surrounds Colombia’s 92,000 disappeared: ICRC
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – More than 92,000 Colombians have disappeared during 50 years of war and at the hands of drug gangs, and the government needs to step up efforts to find missing people, the Red Cross said.
Shortage-weary Venezuelans scoff at fingerprinting plan for food sales
CARACAS (Reuters) – A government plan to combat Venezuela’s food shortages by fingerprinting shoppers in grocery stores has sparked a backlash ranging from violent street protests to social media campaigns ridiculing the idea.
