Syria air defense head killed, rebels take northern town
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s air defense chief was killed during an offensive by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against rebels east of Damascus, Islamist rebels and a monitoring group said.
Mali ‘at war’ after Tuareg separatists abduct 30 civil servants: PM
KIDAL, Mali (Reuters) – Mali’s prime minister said his country was at war with Tuareg separatists after the rebels attacked a northern town he was visiting, killing eight soldiers and abducting around 30 civil servants.
Italy’s Renzi faces Grillo challenge ahead of EU election
ROME (Reuters) – Next week’s European parliamentary elections have turned into a showdown between Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and the anti-establishment movement of comic Beppe Grillo that could decide the future of the government.
Iran voices tougher line on planned nuclear reactor
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran appeared to take a harder line in its nuclear dispute with world powers on Sunday by dismissing as “ridiculous” one idea that could allay Western concerns about a planned atomic research reactor.
Yemeni militant, four aides killed in clashes with army: defense ministry
ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) – Yemeni troops killed a local al Qaeda commander and four of his aides on Sunday in clashes in a southern province where the army has been waging an offensive against the militant network.
Ex-trader Kerviel appeals to French president from Italian border
PARIS (Reuters) – Convicted rogue trader Jerome Kerviel said on Sunday he would stay in Italy rather than report to a French police station as required to start serving a three-year jail sentence.
India’s Modi grapples with first challenge – filling his cabinet
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s prime minister-to-be Narendra Modi was huddled in discussions with close aides and advisers on Sunday, finalizing the names of people to join his cabinet and grappling with the crucial decision of who will be his finance m…
Vietnam stops anti-China protests after riots, China evacuates workers
HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam flooded major cities with police to avert anti-China protests on Sunday, while Beijing evacuated thousands of citizens after a flare-up over disputed sovereignty in the South China Sea sparked rare and deadly rioting in Vietna…
Guinea-Bissau votes in post-coup presidential runoff
BISSAU (Reuters) – Voters in Guinea-Bissau began casting their ballots on Sunday in a presidential run-off election meant to draw a line under a 2012 military coup and renew cooperation between the chronically unstable West African nation and donors an…
Chinese police blame separatist group for Urumqi bombing: Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police blamed the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) for a train station attack in the western city of Urumqi last month that killed three people, Xinhua said on Sunday, the first time the separatists have been directly …
