Lebanese soldier defects to al Qaeda in Syria: video
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Lebanese soldier has defected to an al Qaeda group in neighboring Syria, in the first such incident, in protest at what he said was the injustice against Sunni Muslims in his country.
Yemen president says Houthis agree to return town to state control
SANAA (Reuters) – Yemen’s president on Wednesday visited a town close to the capital that was captured by Shi’ite Muslim Houthi fighters this month, and said all sides had agreed to allow the state to retake control, state news agency Saba reported.
Islamists gun down Somali protest singer-turned-lawmaker
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – A veteran Somali protest singer who had become a member of parliament was shot dead in central Mogadishu on Wednesday by Islamist gunmen who blocked her car and sprayed it with bullets.
South Korea ferry fugitive hid behind cabin wall, bags of cash at hand
SUNCHEON/INCHEON South Korea (Reuters) – South Korea’s most wanted man, whose heavily decomposed body was found in an orchard last month, had evaded arrest by hiding behind an upstairs wall of a wooden cabin, with suitcases of cash at hand, prosecutors…
Kosovo court suspends vote on parliament speaker, crisis deepens
PRISTINA (Reuters) – Kosovo’s constitutional court suspended the appointment of the speaker of parliament on Wednesday, deepening a political crisis over who gets to rule the impoverished Balkan country for the next four years.
Plane with first coffins of Malaysian airliner victims leaves Ukraine
KHARKIV Ukraine (Reuters) – A Dutch air force transport plane carrying the first 16 coffins with the remains of victims of the downed Malaysian airliner took off on Wednesday from an airport in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv for the Netherlands….
Fuel tanks hit in clashes near Libyan airport
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Fuel storage tanks that supply Tripoli were hit on Wednesday in clashes between rival Libyan militias, igniting a huge blaze near the international airport.
Germany promises change as arms sales draw scrutiny
BERLIN (Reuters) – For lawmaker Jan van Aken, little symbolizes more potently all that he finds indefensible about Germany’s arms exports than the German and French-made anti-tank missile that he was shown in northern Syria.
Syria says hopes new peace mediator will be fair
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria urged a newly appointed international mediator to be “objective and honest” as he seeks an end to the country’s civil war, Syrian state television reported on Wednesday.
Indonesian president-elect Jokowi calls for unity after bitter election
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was declared the winner of Indonesia’s presidential election on Tuesday, bringing the promise of major reforms to the world’s third largest democracy.
