Iraqi army retreats from Tikrit after assault stalls
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi forces have withdrawn from the militant-held city of Tikrit after their new offensive met heavy resistance, in a blow to the government effort to push back Sunni insurgents controlling large parts of the country.
China seeks to build railways in Brazil to ship out commodities
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil hopes that during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping it can boost ties with its biggest trade partner beyond the exchange of commodities for manufactured goods, but that may be wishful thinking.
Confident Assad launches new term in stronger position
DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Bashar al-Assad was sworn in for a new term as Syria’s president on Wednesday, after an election which his opponents dismiss as a sham but which he said proved he had achieved victory after a “dirty war” to unseat him.
German national reported kidnapped in Nigeria
ABUJA/BERLIN (Reuters) – Gunmen kidnapped a German national on Wednesday in the northeast Nigerian town of Gombi, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.
Swedish court upholds arrest warrant for Assange
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – A Swedish court upheld on Wednesday an arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who has spent two years at Ecuador’s London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of sexual assault.
Defendant in German neo-Nazi murder trial wants to fire lawyers
MUNICH (Reuters) – A suspected neo-Nazi charged with complicity in a series of racist murders that scandalized Germany wants to fire her lawyers in a move that could delay her trial which has already dragged on for more than a year.
Shootout in central Athens as police arrest wanted guerrilla
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek police shot and wounded one of Greece’s most wanted guerrilla group members in a chase through central Athens on Wednesday in which a policeman and two tourists were also hurt.
Congo launches agri-business park in move to revamp farming
KINSHASA (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo has launched its first agricultural business park, the initial step in a plan to use its vast tracts of arable land to produce food, create jobs and wean the economy off its dependence on mining.
China widens anti-corruption drive to officials with family abroad
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s anti-corruption chief pledged on Wednesday to broaden a crackdown on graft by focusing on officials with family abroad and including the province that was the power base of the former powerful head of domestic security.
Starbucks opens in Colombia, home of Juan Valdez
(Reuters) – Starbucks Corp opened its first shop in Colombia on Wednesday, 43 years after the world’s biggest coffee chain first started buying beans from the country famous for its premium arabica coffee named after fictional coffee farmer Juan Valdez…
