Russia can’t thwart Afghan war drawdown, U.S. commander says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Russia, locked in a standoff with the West over Ukraine, would be unable to thwart a complete or partial U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan even if it cut off access to Russian supply routes, a top U.S. general said on Wednesday.
Tanker coming from Libyan rebel port entered Egyptian waters: minister
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s navy has lost contact with an oil tanker that loaded oil in a rebel-held port and has now slipped into Egyptian waters after being attacked by Libya’s air force, a government minister said on Wednesday.
South Africa rebukes Rwanda over attacks on exiled opponents
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South Africa delivered a diplomatic slap to Rwanda on Wednesday, warning it would not tolerate “criminal” attacks on its soil against Rwandan exiles that have drawn international criticism of President Paul Kagame’s government.
Smuggled Egyptian antiquities to be returned from U.S: minister
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s antiquities minister said on Wednesday that U.S. authorities had agreed to return eight Pharaonic items smuggled into the United States in 2011.
Japan’s Abe seeks trilateral summit with South Korea, U.S
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is trying to arrange a trilateral summit with South Korea and the United States for this month, a government official said on Wednesday, in a bid to thaw Tokyo’s frozen relations with Seoul.
Burundi seeks to arrest opposition leader after clashes
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – Burundi’s authorities have ordered the arrest of an opposition leader after clashes between his party members and police last week, a move the opposition said was a bid to remove rival voices before elections in 2015.
Gun and grenade feud kills 14, mostly women and children, in Pakistan’s Karachi
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Rival gangs opened fire and lobbed grenades in a notoriously violent district of Pakistan’s financial hub, Karachi, on Wednesday, killing 14 people, including eight women and three children, police said.
Britain’s Cameron puts Iran on guard, sets out support for Israel
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron denounced Iran’s government as a “despotic regime” in a speech to Israel’s parliament on Wednesday and accused Tehran of making “despicable” efforts to arm Palestinian militants.
U.N. and Congolese troops attack Rwandan Hutu rebels
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – U .N. peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo and government forces have attacked Rwandan Hutu rebels based in eastern borderlands, U.N. and Congolese officials said on Wednesday.
Broken north undermines Keita’s pledge of strong, united Mali
BAMAKO (Reuters) – President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won power with a pledge to resurrect a “strong and united” Mali from the ashes of a war against Islamists militants yet six months later he has done little to heal the wounds of the conflict.
