Israel will fund defense but guard budget, credit rating: PM
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would increase the defense budget to meet growing threats but not let the country’s credit rating drop one notch through any excessive spending.
Russia says dissatisfied with U.S. talks over arms treaty concerns
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Thursday it was dissatisfied with talks held with U.S. officials to address concerns that Moscow had violated a Cold War-era arms control agreement by testing a ground-launched cruise missile.
Kenya appoints new intelligence chief amid rising Shabaab threat
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya on Thursday swore in a new intelligence chief who it hopes will tackle the rising threat from al Shabaab militants in neighboring Somalia bent on retaliation after U.S. missiles last week killed their leader and co-founder Ahm…
Police in Indian Kashmir collect bodies floating in worst floods in years
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Authorities in Indian Kashmir collected bodies floating in the streets on Thursday as anger mounted over what many survivors said was a bungled operation to help those caught in the region’s worst flooding in 50 years.
Quebec parallel shows final weeks critical in tight Scottish polls
LONDON (Reuters) – Support for and against Scottish independence is running neck-and-neck a week before referendum day, leaving it to a sizeable number of undecided voters to tip the balance.
Britain says European leaders ready to push ahead with Russia sanctions
LONDON (Reuters) – European leaders spoke early on Thursday and agreed to push ahead with a package of sanctions against Russia by the end of the week, due to its aggression towards Ukraine, British Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman said.
Congo Republic jails ex-intel official for life over gunbattle
BRAZZAVILLE (Reuters) – A Republic of Congo court convicted former deputy intelligence chief Colonel Marcel Ntsourou to life in prison with forced labor on Thursday for his involvement in a gunbattle that exposed political rifts in the oil-producing na…
Freed Fijian U.N. peacekeepers arrive at Golan crossing: al Jazeera
DUBAI (Reuters) – Al Jazeera television said on Thursday that vehicles carrying dozens of Fijian U.N. peacekeepers, released by an al Qaeda-backed group, arrived at a Golan Heights crossing.
German eurosceptics eye new election gains
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s new eurosceptic party is poised to make strong gains in two regional elections this weekend, ratcheting up pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel who faces a threat on her right flank for the first time since taking power nin…
Polish president accepts resignation of Brussels-bound PM Tusk
WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski accepted the government’s resignation on Thursday, clearing the way for Prime Minister Donald Tusk to take up the new job of head of the European Council later this year.
