France’s Hollande names European expert his chief of staff
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande appointed a close friend and former European affairs minister to the strategic post of his chief of staff on Wednesday and reshuffled his private office to tighten the country’s relations with Brusse…
Germany asked U.S. about monitoring of Merkel but got no response: MP
BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government asked the United States what information the National Security Agency had collected on Angela Merkel after monitoring her mobile phone for years but got no response, a German lawmaker said on Wednesday.
U.S. targets Egypt militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has designated Egypt’s most active militant group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, a foreign terrorist organization, officials said on Wednesday, making it a crime to support the group.
Venezuela reaches out to Vatican No. 2 to mediate crisis
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s government formally invited Vatican No. 2 Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Wednesday to mediate talks with the opposition in hopes of stemming violence that has killed dozens in the nation’s worst unrest in a decade.
Lebanese patriarch suggests housing Syrian refugees in Syria
GENEVA (Reuters) – The head of Lebanon’s Maronite Christian Church suggested on Wednesday that Syrian refugees should be housed in camps inside Syria, reflecting growing frustration among Lebanese over the burden imposed on their country by their neigh…
Arabs urge U.S. to keep up Mideast peace push
CAIRO (Reuters) – The Arab League called on the United States on Wednesday to keep up efforts to salvage Middle East peace talks that are on the brink of collapse, blaming Israel for a crisis that has led Washington to evaluate its role in the negotiat…
Egypt to announce steps on subsidy reform before next month’s election: minister
TUNIS (Reuters) – Egypt will announce major steps towards subsidy reform ahead of next month’s presidential election, the country’s minister of planning said on Wednesday.
Hezbollah confident in Assad, West resigned to Syria stalemate
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Bashar al-Assad’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah said his Western foes must now accept he will go on ruling Syria after fighting rebels to a standstill – a “reality” to which his foreign enemies seem increasingly resigned.
China fires shot across U.S. bow ahead of Obama’s Asia trip
BEIJING (Reuters) – In one of the many frank exchanges U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had in China this week, General Fan Changlong told him how one of his uncles died as a slave in a Japanese mine during World War Two.
Election board rejects Turkish opposition call for Ankara re-run
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s opposition failed on Thursday to have the results of a local election in Ankara canceled in an attempt to salvage some victory from nationwide polls that proved a triumph for Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
