Al Qaeda splinter group withdraws from oil-rich Syrian province
BEIRUT (Reuters) – An al Qaeda splinter group has withdrawn its forces from Syria’s oil-rich eastern province of Deir al-Zor, activists and rebels said on Monday, after days of heavy fighting with its rivals.
Kuwait MP seeks Saudi-style law against fighting abroad
KUWAIT (Reuters) – Kuwaitis who fight in conflicts abroad such as Syria or encourage such actions should face up to 30 years in jail, a Kuwaiti lawmaker said in a proposed law modeled on penalties introduced in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
China angered by Japan’s U.N. bid for kamikaze pilot letters
BEIJING (Reuters) – China condemned on Monday plans by a Japanese city to ask the U.N. world heritage organization to register letters by World War Two kamikaze suicide pilots alongside documents that include the diaries of Anne Frank and the Magna Car…
Swiss immigration vote ‘worrying’: French foreign minister
PARIS (Reuters) – French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Monday Europe would review its relations with Switzerland after a “worrying” Swiss vote to reintroduce immigration quotas with the European Union.
Aerial ID card renewal: UAE to use drones for government services
DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates says it plans to use unmanned aerial drones to deliver official documents and packages to its citizens as part of efforts to upgrade government services.
Overfishing, pollution leave Turkish waters bare
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – “Balik ekmek! Balik ekmek!” (Fish bread! Fish bread!) yell the vendors tucked under Istanbul’s Galata Bridge, dishing out fish sandwiches to hordes of hungry locals and tourists much as they have for decades.
Brazil water project, long delayed, gets election year boost
CABROBO, Brazil (Reuters) – In 2006, then President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, a native of Brazil’s historically drought-plagued northeast, pushed through an idea that long-suffering residents of the region had been hearing about for more than a centur…
French president coming alone to White House this week
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House officials are giving a dismissive Gallic shrug to French President Francois Hollande’s personal drama and preparing a state visit to showcase strong U.S.-French cooperation on a host of global priorities.
Asylum seekers accuse Australia navy of abuse as boat towed to Indonesia
KUPANG, Indonesia (Reuters) – On New Year’s day, 45 asylum seekers in a ramshackle wooden boat slid ashore on a small island off the Australian city of Darwin. Four others had been swept overboard that morning in rough seas and were believed dead.
Syrian chemical weapons stalling tests limits of U.S.-Russian deal
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – At a closed door meeting, Western governments led by the United States took Syria to task for failing to surrender its chemical weapons under ambitious deadlines agreed with Russia after a poison gas attack in August.
