First candidate for Syria’s presidential election steps forward
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Syrian lawmaker has nominated himself for president, state media said on Wednesday, the first candidate in an election likely to cement President Bashar al-Assad’s rule over a country devastated by civil war.
Saudi prince says Gulf states must balance threat from Iran
DUBAI (Reuters) – A senior member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family said on Wednesday that Gulf states should work on acquiring nuclear know-how to balance any threat from Iran.
Israeli air strike in Gaza wounds 12: medical officials
GAZA (Reuters) – Israel launched an air strike on Wednesday in the Gaza Strip, wounding 12 civilians including children and apparently missing its target, medical officials in the Hamas-ruled territory and Israeli reports said.
Turkey’s Erdogan offers condolences for 1915 Armenia killings
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan offered what the government said were unprecedented condolences on Wednesday to the grandchildren of Armenians killed in World War One by Ottoman soldiers.
Colombia’s Santos reinstates Bogota mayor after court ruling
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday signed a decree to restore Gustavo Petro as mayor of Bogota, just weeks after a judicial authority dismissed him for mismanagement of waste collection.
Chile president launches long-awaited electoral reform bill
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chilean president Michelle Bachelet sent Congress a bill on Wednesday to reform an electoral system inherited from the country’s 17-year military dictatorship, making good on a key campaign promise.
At least 50 killed in Congo train crash: sources
KINSHASA (Reuters) – More than 50 people were killed in a train crash in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Katanga province, a provincial minister said on Wednesday.
Spooked by immigration, disgruntled UK voters turn to anti-EU party
GRIMSBY, England (Reuters) – Like many in the once thriving fishing town of Grimsby, Dave thinks an influx of east European migrants has made it harder to find work and he plans to register his anxiety by voting in an election for the first time in 18 …
Two policemen, militant killed in Egypt
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian policeman and a militant were killed when security forces raided a hideout used by radical Islamists near Alexandria on Wednesday, and a senior officer was killed near Cairo when a bomb blew up his car, the Interior Minist…
Mine injures peacekeeper as diplomats visit Mali’s Kidal
BAMAKO (Reuters) – A mine exploded in the northern Malian town of Kidal on Wednesday, seriously injuring a United Nations peacekeeper but not affecting a delegation of visiting diplomats, a U.N. spokesman said.