Saudi MERS response hobbled by institutional failings
RIYADH/LONDON (Reuters) – When Saudi Arabia announced last week it had found 113 more cases of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), it didn’t just force a rethink of the threat the virus poses, it exposed institutional failings.
Colombians choose between peace talks or more war in tight election
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombians pick a new president on Sunday in a tight runoff election fought over whether peace talks with leftist guerrillas or a renewed military offensive stand the best chance of ending 50 years of war in the Andean country.
Ferry family boss eludes South Korea’s biggest and most bizarre manhunt
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s biggest and most bizarre manhunt, linked to a ferry disaster in which hundreds drowned, has come full circle at the compound of a sect known for its organic ice cream as police on Thursday used earth movers to search for…
Russia holds military exercises in Baltic in response to NATO
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia has begun military exercises in its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad in what the Defence Ministry said was a response to drills by NATO allies in parts of eastern Europe that were launched after Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine.
Italian PM faces party revolt over constitutional reform
ROME (Reuters) – Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s plans to reform Italian politics suffered a setback on Thursday when 13 senators from his center-left Democratic Party (PD) withdrew their backing in protest against his moves for constitutional change.
Troops gather at Congo-Rwanda border after clashes
KINSHASA/KIGALI (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda sent extra troops to their shared border on Thursday after gunfire briefly broke out for the second day, ending months of relative calm in the volatile region.
French rail strike to continue Friday
PARIS (Reuters) – French trade unions said they will extend for another day a strike that has caused the worst disruption to the country’s rail network in years, following an inconclusive meeting with the transport minister on Thursday.
Libyan motorists’ patience wears thin as many petrol stations shut for week
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Angry motorists in Libya’s capital Tripoli queued to fill up on Thursday, some having slept in their cars for nights as petrol stations awaited promised supplies from a state oil firm.
Iran says it is redesigning Arak reactor to cut plutonium capacity
DUBAI/VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran is “busy redesigning” a planned research reactor to sharply cut its potential output of plutonium, a senior Iranian official said in comments that seemed to address a thorny issue in negotiations with big powers.
China struggles to assure people of stability in wake of violent attacks
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese residents and investors believe in the “illusion” that explosions and murder are rampant in the unrest-plagued far-west region of Xinjiang, an official said on Thursday, in the wake of knife and bomb attacks that have shaken…
