Colombia ELN rebels admit attack on leftist candidate, apologize
BOGOTA (Reuters) – The National Liberation Army, Colombia’s second-biggest guerrilla group, admitted on Thursday it was behind an attack last weekend on a leftist presidential candidate but said it was returning fire after being shot at first.
Exiled former Cuban rebel who broke with Castro dead at 95
MIAMI (Reuters) – Huber Matos, a former Cuban revolutionary who fought alongside Fidel Castro, but later turned against him and was jailed before going into exile, died in Miami early Thursday aged 95.
Baghdad motorbike blast, other attacks kill 52 in Iraq
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – At least 52 people were killed Wednesday as a motorcycle rigged with explosives detonated in Baghdad’s Sadr City and militants targeted mostly Shi’ite neighborhoods around the country.
Mexican president ‘indignant’ at U.S. deportations
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said he is “indignant” at the United States’ deportation of Mexican migrants and described U.S. lawmakers as demonstrating a “lack of conscience” in failing to pass immigration reform.
Cyprus parliament rejects state sell-offs required for aid
NICOSIA (Reuters) – International aid to cash-starved Cyprus was thrown into turmoil on Thursday after its parliament rejected a privatization plan, throwing into disarray the disbursement of a new tranche of financial assistance next month.
Carnival holiday may take heat out of Venezuela crisis
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelans began a week-long national holiday on Thursday as some protests still simmered but President Nicolas Maduro’s government was hoping the break will take the heat out of the nation’s worst unrest for a decade.
NATO, Russia moving ahead with talks on Syria chemical arms mission-U.S
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Talks between NATO and Russia on a possible joint mission to protect a U.S. ship that will destroy Syria’s deadliest chemical weapons are moving ahead despite tensions over Ukraine, a top U.S. commander said on Thursday.
Iran says nuclear program to stay ‘intact’
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Iran is willing to address international concerns about its atomic activities but will keep its nuclear program “intact”, not close it down, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday.
British spy agency collected images of Yahoo webcam chats: Guardian
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s spy agency GCHQ intercepted millions of people’s webcam chats and stored still images of them, including sexually explicit ones, the Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday.
Nigerian Islamists kill 12 in village attacks: witnesses
YOLA, Nigeria (Reuters) – Gunmen from Islamist sect Boko Haram shot dead at least 12 people during a four-hour siege on villages in northeast Nigeria overnight, two days after a deadly attack on a school, witnesses said on Thursday.
