Exclusive: Illegal Somali charcoal exports fuel Islamist rebels, warlords
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Illegal exports of Somali charcoal earned al Shabaab militants tens of millions of dollars in the past year and also financed violations of an arms embargo by clan-based militia that could fuel warlord tensions, U.N. investig…
U.N. says thousands likely to be massacred if jihadists take Kobani
GENEVA/MURSITPINAR Turkey (Reuters) – Thousands of people most likely will be massacred if Kobani falls to Islamic State fighters, a U.N. envoy said on Friday, as militants fought deeper into the besieged Syrian Kurdish town in full view of Turkish tan…
Venezuela blocks Argentine website showing politician’s corpse
CARACAS (Reuters) – An outraged Venezuelan government sought on Friday to block an Argentine website that published photos of the corpse of a young Socialist Party legislator stabbed to death last week in a mystery that has convulsed the nation.
Colombia says FARC rebel chief traveled twice to Cuba for peace talks
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombian FARC rebel leader Rodrigo Londono has traveled to Cuba twice to meet with his negotiating team as part of peace talks to end to five decades of war, the government said on Friday.
Kobani’s fall would be symbolic setback for Obama Syria strategy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – It’s not a particularly strategic location, the United States and its allies never pledged to defend it, and few people outside the region had even heard of it before this month.
Libya’s Ansar al-Sharia says not to move battle beyond Benghazi
CAIRO, (Reuters) – Libyan Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia hopes to seize the eastern city of Benghazi from pro-government forces in the coming days but will not try to capture other cities, its leader said in a video message.
Egypt says kills top militant leader in Sinai
CAIRO (Reuters) – A top leader of Egypt’s most active Islamist militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis was killed on Friday by Egyptian soldiers in the lawless north of the Sinai Peninsula, a military spokesman said on Facebook.
Brazil’s Neves would improve ties with United States: adviser
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Brazilian presidential challenger Aecio Neves would seek to repair ties with the United States and finalize a long-delayed free-trade agreement with the European Union if he is elected in an Oct. 26 runoff, his top economic advis…
Exclusive: Somalia army weapons sold on open market – U.N. monitors
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Somali army weapons and ammunition continue to be diverted to open markets despite the government’s pledges to prevent its arms from leaking and ending up in the hands of Islamist militants, U.N. investigators said in a new r…
North Korea leader Kim is still in charge, has leg injury: source
BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in firm control of his government but hurt his leg taking part in a military drill, a source with access to the secretive North’s leadership said, playing down speculation over the 31-year-ol…
