Mali says 50 soldiers killed in Kidal fighting
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Fifty Malian soldiers died this week during a failed army attempt to seize the Tuareg separatist northern town of Kidal, the West African country’s defense minister said on Sunday.
Ukrainians back Poroshenko to find way out of crisis
KIEV (Reuters) – Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire chocolate manufacturer, claimed the Ukrainian presidency with an emphatic election victory on Sunday, taking on a fraught mission to quell pro-Russian rebels and steer his fragile nation closer to the We…
French far right in ‘earthquake’ win as Europe votes
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Marine Le Pen’s far right National Front scored a stunning first victory in European Parliament elections in France on Sunday as critics of the European Union registered a continent-wide protest vote against austerity and mass unem…
Obama, in Afghanistan visit, says he’s hopeful on security pact
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (Reuters) – President Barack Obama made a surprise trip to Afghanistan on Sunday to visit U.S. forces who are wrapping up a 13-year mission and signaled that he intends to keep a small number of troops in the country for tr…
UK finance ministry warns on Scottish independence costs
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s finance ministry stepped up its attack on the Scottish government’s independence plans on Monday, saying it had not fully budgeted for setting up a new administration that could cost Scottish taxpayers over 1.5 billion poun…
Yemen says security forces kill senior al Qaeda leader
SANAA (Reuters) – Yemen’s security forces on Sunday killed a senior al Qaeda leader wanted for attacks on local and foreign targets in Sanaa, the Yemeni government said, after a raid near the capital in which at least four other militants died.
Pope wraps up Middle East visit with Jerusalem whirl
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Pope Francis completes a tour of the Holy Land on Monday, paying homage to Jews killed in the Nazi Holocaust and looking to affirm Christian rights at a disputed place of worship in Jerusalem.
As Taiwan beefs up prized South China Sea outpost, barely a peep from China
TAIPEI/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Taiwan is building a $100 million port next to an airstrip on the lone island it occupies in the disputed South China Sea, a move that is drawing hardly any flak from the most assertive player in the bitterly contested wate…
Former army chief Sisi poised for victory in Egypt election
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptians vote in a presidential election on Monday expected to sweep former army chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi into office, reviving strongman rule three years after a popular uprising raised hopes of democracy free from military influen…
Flemish separatists are big winners in Belgian election
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A party that wants to dissolve Belgium was the chief winner of a parliamentary election on Sunday, setting the scene for months of deadlock before a new government can be formed.
