Western banks cold-shoulder Iran trade finance scheme
LONDON/ANKARA (Reuters) – Despite a diplomatic thaw, Western banks are steering clear of attempts by Iran to get them involved in financing humanitarian transactions, fearing they could be penalized under U.S. sanctions, bankers and government official…
IMF restores ties with Madagascar five years after coup
ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund has restored ties with Madagascar for the first time since a coup on the Indian Ocean island in 2009, a vital step to rebuilding confidence in the battered economy.
Bissau court clears leading party candidate for April vote
BISSAU (Reuters) – Guinea-Bissau’s highest court has cleared the way for the candidate of the West African nation’s largest political party to contest next month’s presidential election, quashing a legal appeal to block his candidacy.
Madagascar says IMF restores ties five years after coup
ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund has restored ties with Madagascar for the first time since a coup on the Indian Ocean island in 2009, the government said on Thursday, a vital step to rebuilding confidence in the battered econom…
Milosevic-era minister shakes off dark past on path to power in Serbia
BELGRADE (Reuters) – When state television captured Serbia’s deputy prime minister wading into snowdrifts this winter to rescue a boy from a stranded car, it was one dramatic act too far for some skeptical Serbs.
East African states to send troops to monitor South Sudan ceasefire: mediator
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – East African states agreed on Thursday to deploy troops in South Sudan by mid-April to help enforce a ceasefire deal between government forces and rebels, the chief mediator in peace talks between the two sides said.
Palestinian leader lashes out at rival, political tensions flare
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accused one of his main rivals, Mohammed Dahlan, of involvement in six murders, hinting that he might also be behind the death of former leader Yasser Arafat.
U.N. sees serious setbacks in anti-drugs fight
VIENNA (Reuters) – The global fight against narcotics has suffered serious setbacks, including record opium cultivation in Afghanistan and a surge of trafficking-related violence in Central America, the U.N. anti-drugs chief said on Thursday.
North Korea denies role in tanker loaded with crude at rebel-held Libya port
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea on Thursday denied any responsibility for an oil tanker that loaded crude from a Libyan rebel-held port and fled the OPEC member state’s attempt to seize it, saying the vessel that carried its flag was linked to an Egyptia…
Saudi Arabia loans Pakistan $1.5 billion to shore up economy
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia loaned $1.5 billion to Pakistan last month to help Islamabad shore up its foreign exchange reserves, meet debt-service obligations and undertake large energy and infrastructure projects, Pakistani officials have told …
