Seven killed in north Lebanon in spillover from Syria war
TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) – Seven people were killed in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Friday in fighting between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, security and medical sources said.
U.S. to hand over tanker with contraband oil back to Libya
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy will meet Libyan authorities in international waters in the next day or two to hand over a tanker carrying contraband Libyan oil seized this week by U.S. commandos in the Mediterranean, the Pentagon said on Friday.
Italy’s Renzi brushes off talk of EU mocking over budget
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi brushed off suggestions of tensions with the EU on Friday after newspapers accused senior officials of smirking at a news conference when asked if Rome may be granted extra flexibility on its bud…
Jailed Kurdish militant leader calls for legal steps in peace talks
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the Turkish government on Friday to create a legal framework for their peace talks, whose fate is looking increasingly uncertain a year after he called a ceasefire …
Lebanese border towns become fuse for sectarian conflict
ARSAL, Lebanon (Reuters) – From the Lebanese border town of Arsal, you can see the smoke as Syrian government warplanes bomb rebel positions across the frontier. But its problems are even closer.
Fire destroys main market in Malian capital Bamako
BAMAKO (Reuters) – An overnight blaze at the main market in Mali’s capital Bamako destroyed around 2,000 shops, causing millions of dollars in damage as fire crews struggled to access the site and hydrants malfunctioned, residents and fire officials sa…
Syrian army says has control of western Homs province
CRAC DES CHEVALIERS, Syria (Reuters) – Standing at the gate of a Crusader castle captured from insurgents less than 24 hours before, a Syrian army officer declared on Friday that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were now in control of the west…
Dutch rightist politician quits over anti-Moroccan chants
(This March 20 story was corrected in the second paragraph to make clear Freedom Party did not make huge gains)
Poland speeds up missile defense plan amid Ukraine crisis
(This March 20 story was corrected to show selection of best offer to take place within months, not weeks, after clarification from Polish Defence Ministry; also replaces comments from Defence Ministry spokesman)
Syria can meet target for chemical disarmament: mission chief
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria could ship out its remaining chemical weapons within a month and still meet a mid-year target for their final destruction, the head of an international mission overseeing the delayed disarmament operation said on Friday.
