U.S. prepares military options in Syria against Islamic State
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is preparing military options, including surveillance flights, to pressure Islamic State in Syria, U.S. officials said on Monday, but they cautioned no decision had been made to expand U.S. action beyond the lim…
Scotland’s pro-independence leader steamrolls final TV debate before vote
GLASGOW Scotland (Reuters) – Scotland’s pro-independence leader Alex Salmond won a final TV debate on Monday just over three weeks before a historic breakaway referendum, but it wasn’t clear if his combative performance would help him catch up in the p…
France’s Hollande ejects rebel minister Montebourg from cabinet
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande on Monday called for a cabinet reshuffle, evicting from his government rebel leftist ministers who had argued for an economic policy U-turn away from budgetary rigor.
Rival second Libyan assembly chooses own PM as chaos spreads
BENGHAZI Libya/CAIRO (Reuters) – The Libyan parliament that was replaced in an election in June reconvened on Monday and chose an Islamist-backed deputy as the new prime minister, leaving the chaotic country with two rival leaders and assemblies, each …
Remote, gas-rich islands on Indonesia’s South China Sea frontline
RANAI Indonesia (Reuters) – The word “sleepy” could have been invented for Ranai, the largest town in Indonesia’s remote and sparsely populated Natuna archipelago.
Israeli air strikes kill two Palestinians, 20 wounded
GAZA (Reuters) – Israeli air strikes launched before dawn on Tuesday killed two Palestinians and destroyed much of one of Gaza’s tallest apartment and office buildings, setting off huge explosions and wounding 20 people, Palestinian health officials sa…
U.S., Chinese officials to meet at Pentagon after jet intercept
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. and Chinese military officials will hold talks on rules of behavior at the Pentagon on Wednesday and Thursday, a U.S. official said, days after the United States denounced a “dangerous” Chinese jet intercept of a U.S. Navy p…
Slim chance of progress as Russian and Ukrainian leaders meet
MINSK (Reuters) – Divided by mistrust and mutual recriminations, the Russian and Ukrainian leaders will hold rare talks on Tuesday that offer only a slim hope of progress towards ending five months of separatist war in Ukraine.
How Pakistan’s Sharif stumbled into protests crisis
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – As thousands of protesters blockaded Pakistan’s parliament last week, the spirits of the lawmakers inside were briefly lifted by a rare appearance from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. 
U.N. accuses Islamic State of mass killings
GENEVA/BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The United Nations on Monday condemned “appalling, widespread” crimes by Islamic State forces in Iraq, including mass executions of prisoners that could amount to war crimes.
