Bruised Iraqi army leans on Shi’ite militias, volunteers
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The Iraqi soldier says he abandoned the army last week in despair. And while he still plans to fight he will not rejoin the unit he deserted in the western city of Ramadi.
Japan cyber attacks on government sites surge, government mulling steps to respond
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan has seen a surge in cases of irregular access to government computer systems and cyberattacks on operators of critical social infrastructure, and Tokyo is considering ways to respond, a top official said on Thursday.
China agrees to reduce FX intervention ‘as conditions permit’
BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. and Chinese leaders have agreed that China will reduce its intervention in the currency market when conditions are ripe, reaching an understanding on a prickly issue that has hurt ties between the world’s two biggest economies …
Likely new Indonesian leader warns against tampering with vote
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s likely next president, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, warned on Thursday against tampering with ballots ahead of a final count of votes from a disputed election.
Greek far-right Golden Dawn’s spokesman jailed awaiting trial
ATHENS (Reuters) – Golden Dawn lawmaker Ilias Kasidiaris, the Greek far-right party’s main public face, was jailed on Thursday pending trial on gun possession charges, delivering a fresh blow to a party already reeling from a government-led crackdown.
Militants in Lebanon seek to emulate Islamic State
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The success of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has emboldened like-minded militants in Lebanon who believe they can emulate it, the interior minister said, confirming the militant Sunni group had now appeared in Beirut for the fi…
Three Ukrainian soldiers killed in further clashes in the east
KIEV (Reuters) – Three Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 27 wounded in clashes with pro-Russian separatist rebels in the east of the country, the military said on Thursday.
Kerry faces uphill battle to defuse Afghan election standoff
KABUL (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive to a sceptical audience in Afghanistan this week to try to resolve a deepening crisis over a disputed presidential election which has stirred ethnic tensions in the fragile country.
China, U.S. to boost security ties, but no breakthroughs
BEIJING (Reuters) – China and the United States agreed on Thursday to boost military ties and counter-terrorism cooperation during high-level annual talks in Beijing, but there was little immediate sign of progress on thorny cyber-security or maritime …
Merkel says spying on allies is a waste of energy
BERLIN (Reuters) – Spying on allies is a waste of energy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday when asked about two suspected U.S. spy cases that have come to light in the last few days and caused anger in Germany.
