Workers flee to safe houses on South Africa’s strike-hit platinum belt
RUSTENBURG, South Africa (Reuters) – The chanting began around midnight, a chilling message through the cold of the early South African winter to those who had dared to cross the picket lines at platinum producer Lonmin.
Ukraine forces, pro-Russian rebels clash as election looms
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine said on Thursday its forces had rebuffed overnight attacks by armed pro-Russian separatists on an army checkpoint and a border crossing and called for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council to discuss Moscow’s role i…
U.S. steps up scrutiny of Americans fighting in Syrian civil war
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Justice Department has tapped a veteran prosecutor to probe the flow of foreign fighters including Americans who are joining Syria’s rebels, U.S. officials said, in a sign of heightened alarm over the threat of radicalized mi…
Germany’s Merkel urges Turkish PM to show restraint in German speech
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a newspaper interview, called on Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to be restrained in a speech he is due to deliver in Cologne to almost 20,000 Turkish supporters on Saturday.
South African union says member stabbed to death on way to work
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – A member of South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers was stabbed to death on his way to work at an Anglo American Platinum mine, the union said on Thursday, the fifth such killing in the past two weeks.
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.
