West renews Russia sanctions threat as Ukraine ceasefire crumbles
BRUSSELS/SLAVIANSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Western powers warned Russia on Wednesday that they could impose new sanctions if Moscow did not do more to defuse the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where a ceasefire between Russian-speaking rebels and government …
Suicide bomber kills two soldiers as clashes erupt in Yemen
ADEN (Reuters) – A suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden car into the entrance of army base in the central Yemeni city of Seiyun, killing two soldiers on Thursday, security officials said.
Islamist militants raid hotel in central Somalia: witnesses
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Islamist militants hurled grenades at the gate of a hotel in central Somalia on Thursday then opened fire as they burst into the building used by Somali soldiers and Djiboutian African Union peacekeepers, residents said.
Iraq presidency convenes parliament in first step to form new government
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s presidency issued a decree on Thursday for a parliament session on July 1, state television said, starting the process of forming a new government amid an insurgency that threatens the country’s unity.
Al Qaeda-linked group urged Lebanon attacks against Hezbollah before Wednesday bombing
DUBAI (Reuters) – The al Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades had urged Lebanese Sunni Muslims to attack the Iranian-backed Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah a day before Wednesday’s suicide bombing in central Beirut.
Erdogan would win Turkish presidency in first round: polls
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan would comfortably win the August presidential election if he decides to run, according to two local polls which give him a 20-point lead over his nearest challenger.
Suicide bomber hits hotel near Saudi embassy in Beirut
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A suicide bomber wounded three security officers in a hotel close to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanon’s interior minister said, the third blast in the country in less than a week.
Advisers urge Japan to offer foreign aid to richer nations
TOKYO (Reuters) – Advisers to Japan’s foreign minister urged the government on Thursday to include richer nations among its foreign aid recipients, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushes for Tokyo to play a bigger role in global security and diplomacy.
Philippine film star-turned-senator pleads not guilty to graft
MANILA (Reuters) – A popular Philippine action movie hero-turned senator pleaded not guilty to plunder on Thursday in a case seen as landmark test of the government’s ability to tackle entrenched corruption in the poor Southeast Asian nation.
China jails nine more in Xinjiang for terror offences
BEIJING (Reuters) – Authorities in China’s violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang have jailed nine more people for up to 14 years for terror-related offences at a public sentencing in front of more than 3,000 people, state media said on Thursday…
