EU concerned by jailing of Egyptian activist
CAIRO/ALEXANDRIA (Reuters) – The European Union said on Thursday it was concerned by a prison sentence handed to a leading woman activist in Egypt for breaching a law that severely restricts the right to protest.
Brazil’s Rousseff holds clear lead, rivals make gains: poll
BRASILIA (Reuters) – President Dilma Rousseff holds a clear lead ahead of Brazil’s election in October, but her main rivals are closing the gap as voters begin to decide who to back, according to a poll published on Thursday.
Russia, China veto U.N. bid to refer Syria to international court
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Russia and China vetoed on Thursday a resolution to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court for possible prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s three-year…
Assad’s forces break rebel siege of Aleppo prison
BEIRUT (Reuters) – President Bashar al-Assad’s troops broke a year-long rebel siege of Aleppo’s main prison on Thursday, cutting a main insurgent supply line and vowing to press on and recapture the whole of Syria’s biggest city.
32 people killed in three attacks on Shi’ite religious pilgrims
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Thirty-two people were killed in three attacks on Shi’ite Muslim pilgrims walking in Baghdad on Thursday evening ahead of a major religious holiday, police and medical sources said.
Nigeria’s Boko Haram kills 29 in village attack: sources
MAIDUGURI (Reuters) – Suspected Boko Haram gunmen have shot dead 29 farm workers as they tilled their fields in a village in the remote northeast, a police source and witnesses said on Thursday.
U.N. report to show Iran complying with nuclear deal: diplomats
VIENNA (Reuters) – A U.N. atomic watchdog report due on Friday is likely to confirm that Iran is curbing its nuclear activities as agreed with world powers in a landmark accord last year, diplomatic sources said.
Turkish aid group opposes dropping legal action over Israeli raid
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish relief agency said on Thursday it would oppose what it called an imminent Israeli offer to pay compensation for a commando raid on its Gaza-bound aid flotilla in exchange for dropping lawsuits over the attack.
Euro zone crisis propels German immigration to 20-year high
BERLIN (Reuters) – Net immigration to Germany leapt by over 18 percent to a 20-year high in 2013, fuelled largely by migrants from euro zone debt-crisis states Italy and Spain as well as a continued influx of Poles, data from the Statistics Office show…
Vietnam PM says considering legal action against China over disputed waters
MANILA (Reuters) – Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said his government was considering various “defense options” against China, including legal action, following the deployment of a Chinese oil rig to waters in the South China Sea that Hanoi …