U.S. sends arms to bolster Lebanon army after Islamist incursion
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The United States has begun delivering nearly $20 million of arms including assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and mortars to bolster Lebanon’s army after Islamist insurgents seized a border town for several days this month, U.S. off…
Pakistan leader distances himself from army as crisis drags on
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s prime minister, weakened by weeks of opposition protests calling for him to resign, distanced himself from an army move to intervene in the crisis on Friday, saying he did not turn to the military for help to defuse the…
Islamic State’s appeal presents Jordan with new test
AMMAN (Reuters) – He had a good job and a loving family, but it wasn’t enough for a 25-year old Jordanian who abandoned his life of privilege in Amman to join the Islamic State group that has seized swathes of neighboring Iraq and Syria.
Executive asks for firm’s name to be removed from pro-Scottish independence letter: FT
LONDON (Reuters) – A British businessman who signed a letter supporting Scottish independence has asked for the name of his employer, a restaurant group and one of the biggest firms to appear on the list, to be removed, the Financial Times reported on …
New Turkish cabinet spells little policy shift, Erdogan stays dominant
ANKARA (Reuters) – Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu kept key members of Turkey’s economic management team in place and named Ankara’s point man on Europe as foreign minister in a new cabinet on Friday, moves signalling President Tayyip Erdogan’s continue…
Iran’s foreign minister hopes for nuclear accord ‘in short time left’ till deadline
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran hoped to reach a “positive result” in talks with world powers on its nuclear programme ahead of a November deadline, thanks in part to support from Russia.
U.N. says 43 Golan peacekeepers seized by Syria militants, 81 trapped
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Militants fighting the Syrian army have detained 43 U.N. peacekeepers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and trapped another 81 in the region, and the world body is working to secure their release, the United Nations said …
North Korean leader’s money manager defects in Russia: South Korea newspaper
SEOUL (Reuters) – A senior North Korean banking official who managed money for leader Kim Jong Un has defected in Russia and was seeking asylum in a third country, a South Korean newspaper reported on Friday, citing an unidentified source.
Hong Kong media mogul unbowed by raid as democracy battle boils
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s most powerful critic of Beijing, a brash media tycoon whose home was raided by anti-corruption officers, said on Friday he won’t be cowed by efforts to silence him ahead of a crunch decision this weekend on the city’s …
Captain of doomed South Korea ferry says lack of checks was customary: Yonhap
SEOUL (Reuters) – The captain of a ferry that capsized in April in South Korea’s worst maritime accident in decades told a court on Friday he was just following established practice in not making safety checks before the vessel set off, Yonhap news age…
