Taliban free most of 27 hostages in Afghan province
KABUL (Reuters) – The Islamist Taliban have freed most of the 27 prisoners captured last week in Afghanistan’s northern Badakhanshan province, a local official said on Sunday, but three remained captive because of their senior rank.
Exclusive: Fugitive Thai minister says army led government into trap
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s top generals lured the former government and its supporters into a trap by arranging peace talks between political heavyweights then seizing power in a coup moments later, a deposed minister said on Sunday.
Italy’s woeful waste management on trial with Il Supremo trash king
ROME (Reuters) – Italian businessman Manlio Cerroni thinks a monument would be a fitting recognition of his services to Rome. Instead, the 86-year-old, who spent 60 years building a global empire and a personal fortune on trash, is facing trial on a st…
Egyptian crackdown risks spreading instability abroad, Islamist says
CAIRO (Reuters) – A former Muslim Brotherhood leader has warned that government oppression in Egypt is fanning militancy that will pose a threat abroad unless the army-backed authorities start respecting freedom and human rights.
World Cup a minefield for Brazil’s Rousseff in election year
SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) – The script was simple enough: host the soccer World Cup, win it for a record sixth time and ride a wave of national euphoria to another four years in power.
Kurds say Iraqi bid to thwart oil exports via Turkey will fail
ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraq’s bid to thwart exports of oil from Kurdistan via Turkey by filing for arbitration is a “hollow threat” that will fail, the autonomous region said in a statement on Sunday.
Yemen forces kill five al Qaeda militants in raid
SANAA (Reuters) – Yemen’s security forces killed five al Qaeda members and captured four in a raid north of the capital Sanaa on Sunday, a government official said, escalating a campaign against militants responsible for a wave of attacks across the co…
At dinner with Putin, menu of Crimean flounder and Russian grievances
ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – You can’t say Vladimir Putin lacks a pointed sense of humor. The entrée at the Russian president’s dinner for news agency editors on Saturday night was “Crimean flounder.” No kidding.
China launches nationwide ‘anti-terror operation’: Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has launched a nationwide, year-long “anti-terror operation”, state media said on Sunday, days after announcing a similar crackdown targeting the troubled Xinjiang region following an attack which killed dozens.
Djibouti says Somali pair suspected of bombing restaurant filled with Western military
DJIBOUTI (Reuters) – Djibouti’s Interior Ministry said on Sunday that two Somalis are suspected of having carried out a suicide bombing at a restaurant filled with Western military personnel on Saturday that killed three and wounded at least 15.
