Saudi Arabia promises $500 million for Gaza rebuilding
GAZA (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has pledged $500 million to help rebuild Gaza, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah said on Thursday, with the full cost of post-war reconstruction expected to be around $4 billion over three years.
Egypt targets last bastion of Muslim Brotherhood dissent
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt has moved to close down one of the last bastions of Muslim Brotherhood dissent with sweeping new rules to curtail violent protest at Al Azhar University, among the world’s most venerable centers of Islamic learning.
China official hangs himself after being sacked in graft probe: Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters) – An official in eastern China hanged himself on Thursday after being sacked following a corruption probe into his presence at an extravagant banquet, state media said on Thursday, offering a rare explanation following a spate of suic…
Slovenia’s new government committed to cutting budget gap: PM Cerar
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) – Slovenia’s incoming coalition government will cut public spending and aim to improve tax collection as it focuses on reducing the budget deficit to within EU limits, Prime Minister Miro Cerar told parliament on Thursday.
Reported rocket attack from Gaza was false alarm: Israeli military
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s military said there had been no rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, despite a report on Israel Radio that two projectiles had struck after sirens sounded in the southern border area.
Kurds say Islamic State seizes Syrian villages near Turkish border
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State fighters have seized 16 Kurdish villages in northern Syria in a major advance towards the city of Ayn al-Arab at the border with Turkey, a Kurdish military official and a group that tracks the civil war said on Thursday…
China investigates ex-chair of Guangfa Bank on suspicion of graft
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The former chairman of China Guangfa Bank Co Ltd, part-owned by Citigroup Inc., is being investigated on suspicion of taking bribes, prosecutors said on Thursday, the latest official caught up in a widening corruption crackdown.
Assad’s army stretched but still seen strong in Syria’s war
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s army declared a victory against insurgents last week when it pushed back their advance towards pro-government towns in the west of the country. But a month earlier the strategic area did not even appear at risk.
Ukraine PM tells army to be on full battle alert despite ceasefire
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s prime minister told government forces to remain on full battle alert on Wednesday as fighting in the rebel-held eastern city of Donetsk killed at least two civilians and further strained a ceasefire with Russian-backed separa…
Islamic State campaign tests Obama’s commitment to Mideast allies
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – After about 15 hours of flying and five hours of meetings, sleep finally caught up with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Baghdad. It was 6:04 p.m. 
