Turkish high-speed train crashes on test drive
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s long-awaited high-speed rail link between Istanbul and Ankara suffered a setback on Thursday when a test train crashed only days before its official opening by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
Costa Concordia wreck set to be refloated in 10 days
ROME (Reuters) – The wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise liner is set to be refloated within 10 days, to be towed away from the Italian island where it ran aground and capsized two and a half years ago, the group organising the removal said on Thursday…
Rescuers close in on three trapped Honduran miners, eight still missing
SAN JUAN ARRIBA Honduras (Reuters) – Rescuers labored with pickaxes and shovels to dig out 11 miners trapped by a landslide at a small gold mine in southern Honduras, and are close to reaching three of the workers, officials said on Thursday.
Islamic State seizes oil field and towns in Syria’s east
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Militants from the Islamic State group seized control of Syria’s largest oil field from rival Islamist fighters on Thursday, strengthening its advance across the eastern Deir al-Zor province, an opposition monitoring group said.
Exclusive: Iran eases demands for nuclear capacity at Vienna talks: Western diplomats
VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran has reduced demands for the size of its future nuclear enrichment program in talks with world powers although Western governments are urging Tehran to compromise further, Western diplomats close to the negotiations said on Thurs…
Iraq chases Baghdad sleeper cells as ‘Zero Hour’ looms over capital
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi insurgents are preparing for an assault on Baghdad, with sleeper cells planted inside the capital to rise up at “Zero Hour” and aid fighters pushing in from the outskirts, according to senior Iraqi and U.S. security officials….
South African police fire rubber bullets to disperse striking workers
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African police fired rubber bullets to disperse workers who blocked the entrance to the construction site of state power utility Eskom’s Medupi power station on the third day of a wage strike.
African nations give Rwandan rebels six months to disarm
LUANDA/KINSHASA (Reuters) – African nations have agreed to suspend military operations for six months against Congo-based Rwandan rebels in order to give them more time to lay down their arms, regional government officials said.
Militants free 32 Turkish truck drivers seized in Iraq
ANKARA (Reuters) – Thirty-two truck drivers abducted by Islamist militants in Iraq three weeks ago were handed over to Turkish officials on Thursday and Ankara is working to secure the release of other Turks held there, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu…
Fresh gains and new enemies for Islamic State in Syria
(Reuters) – Islamic State militants have taken control of most of eastern Syria as they build on the momentum of their advance through Sunni Muslim provinces of neighboring Iraq.
