Iranians play role in breaking IS siege of Iraqi town
AMERLI Iraq (Reuters) – Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Shi’ite militiamen paraded through Amerli on Monday, a day after breaking the two-month siege of the northern town by Sunni Islamist militants.
Ukraine accuses Russia of “undisguised aggression” as rebels advance
KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia on Monday of “direct and undisguised aggression” which he said had radically changed the battlefield balance as Kiev’s forces suffered a further reverse in their war with pro-M…
Obama notifies Congress of ordering air strikes in Iraq’s Amerli
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama formally notified the U.S. Congress on Monday that he had authorized air strikes and humanitarian airdrops over the weekend in the Iraqi Shi’ite town of Amerli where Islamic State militants had trapped the civilian population.
Syrian army, rebels fight on Golan where peacekeepers held
EIN ZIVAN Golan Heights/MANILA (Reuters) – Heavy fighting erupted on Monday between the Syrian army and Islamist rebels on the Golan Heights, where 44 peacekeepers from Fiji are being held by militants and scores of their fellow blue helmets from the P…
Cubans angered by new consumer import restrictions
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba has raised duties and restricted imports on consumer goods brought in by air travelers or sent by mail, imposing greater hardship for a fledgling private sector and angering people looking to counter chronic shortages.
NATO to create new ‘spearhead’ force to respond to crises
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO leaders will respond to the Ukraine crisis by agreeing this week to create a “spearhead” rapid reaction force, potentially including several thousand troops, that could be sent to a hotspot in as little as two days, officials …
German euroskeptics chide Merkel after state surge
BERLIN (Reuters) – Riding a wave of momentum after a strong showing in a regional election, Germany’s new anti-euro party said on Monday it was time for Chancellor Angela Merkel to wake up and accept it as a new conservative force in German politics.
Al Qaeda in Yemen executes three ‘spies’ for guiding drone strikes
SANAA (Reuters) – Al Qaeda militants in Yemen executed three local men in the easterly Hadramout province on Monday whom they suspected of assisting U.S. drone strikes, security sources told Reuters.
Pakistani protesters clash with police, soldiers secure state TV
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary forces secured the state television headquarters in Islamabad on Monday after a crowd of anti-government protesters stormed the building and took the channel off the air.
Libyan parliament reappoints PM as government loses grip on ministries
BENGHAZI Libya (Reuters) – Libya’s parliament reappointed Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni on Monday as the government lost control of ministries in the capital where armed groups have taken over and a separate parliament has claimed legitimacy.
