After Assad’s election triumph, fear grips stay-at-home Syrians
DAMASCUS (Reuters) – (The identity of the reporter has been withheld for security reasons)
Kosovo votes under shadow of war crimes probe
GJAKOVA Kosovo (Reuters) – Hashim Thaci’s “thumbs-up” gesture has become his trademark in election campaigns since he helped lead the guerrilla insurgency to throw off Serbian rule over Kosovo 15 years ago.
Russia’s ambassador to Kiev to attend Poroshenko inauguration
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Thursday its ambassador to Kiev would attend the inauguration of Ukrainian president-elect Petro Poroshenko in spite of Moscow’s harsh criticism of Ukraine’s attempts to crush pro-Russian separatists.
Japan PM Abe says wants dialogue with Putin despite G7 threats
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, hours after joining fellow industrial powers in threatening further sanctions against Russia, said on Thursday that he wants to maintain good relations with Moscow.
Partial metro strike hits Sao Paulo one week before World Cup
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Some workers at Sao Paulo’s metro started an indefinite strike on Thursday, disrupting three of the city’s five subway lines and stranding millions of commuters a week before the soccer World Cup kicks off.
Niger destroys migrants’ safe houses, asks for international help
NIAMEY (Reuters) – Authorities in Niger have destroyed safe houses owned by human trafficking networks for sheltering illegal migrants and forcibly turned back anyone without a valid identity document in towns near its northern border, a government min…
Bitten by sanctions, Iranians support nuclear compromise
ANKARA (Reuters) – After years of tough sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program, many in the country now say they want the government to make compromises that could satisfy world powers and allow a semblance of prosperity to return.
European Parliament tie-up complicates UK Cameron’s reform push
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives have voted to align themselves with two nationalist right-wing parties in the European Parliament, a move that risks alienating allies Cameron needs if he is to win back powers fro…
France says Syria chlorine gas samples may be inconclusive
PARIS (Reuters) – France said on Thursday samples it had collected suggesting Syrian government forces had used chlorine gas in the country’s civil war may not prove to be conclusive and would need to be cross-checked with other information to determin…
Israel to build more than 1,000 new settler homes: media
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel is planning to build more than 1,000 new settlement homes in the West Bank, Israeli media reported on Thurday, following the formation of a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas Islamists opposed to Israel’s exis…
