Netanyahu orders cutback in contacts with Palestinian Authority
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel announced on Wednesday a partial freeze in high-level contacts with the Palestinians in retaliation for their signing of international conventions, deepening a crisis that threatens to wreck U.S.-brokered peace talks.
Japan’s scrambles against Chinese planes hit record high
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese fighter jet scrambles against Chinese planes hit a record high in the year that ended in March, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, as Sino-Japanese ties were strained by disputes over territory and interpretations of his…
Indonesia’s PDI-P leads in elections, but less than expected-pollster
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s opposition party, Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), led in parliamentary elections on Wednesday, but will not likely get enough votes to independently field a presidential candidate, according to a quick coun…
Italy PM will ask Spain to treat Italy bidders for Deoleo fairly
VERONA (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Wednesday he planned to ask Spain to treat foreign firms bidding for a stake in top global olive oil bottler Deoleo fairly.
Merkel ally warns against ‘wrong signal’ to France on deficit
BERLIN (Reuters) – One of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief allies in parliament on Wednesday criticised the center-left candidate for European Commission president, Germany’s Martin Schulz, for saying France should get more time to cut its public defic…
Assad’s forces recapture rebel border town
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad recaptured the rebel-held Syrian border town of Rankous on Wednesday, military sources and state television said, consolidating their control over a former rebel supply line from neighboring …
UK’s Cameron promotes Javid to cabinet, names Morgan to Treasury job
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron appointed former banker Sajid Javid as the country’s new culture minister, replacing Maria Miller who resigned earlier on Wednesday over an expenses scandal.
Indonesia votes for parliament, early returns cast doubt on easy PDI-P win
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesians voted for a new parliament on Wednesday in a poll expected to be dominated by the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), boosting the chances of its popular candidate in a presidential election three mo…
Afghan election complaints watchdog warns of fraud
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s presidential election last Saturday may have suffered a significant degree of fraud, the country’s election complaints commission said, warning that all votes cast irregularly would be thrown out.
Pope expresses ‘profound pain’ at killing of priest in Syria
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis spoke on Wednesday of his deep grief over the assassination of a 75-year-old Dutch Jesuit priest in Syria and made a renewed appeal for an end to the violence.
