German foreign minister tries new tone to court Russia
MOSCOW (Reuters) – While others in Europe debate how best to contain Vladimir Putin, Germany’s foreign minister is on a mission to revive damaged ties with Moscow with a combination of public flattery and behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
Syria peace talks failure spurs U.S.-Russia recriminations
JAKARTA/MOSCOW (Reuters) – The United States accused Damascus on Monday of paralyzing Geneva peace negotiations, while Russia denied that and said nations backing Syrian rebels were leaning toward trying to end the civil war on the battlefield rather t…
Exclusive: Afghan peace team seeks Dubai meeting with Taliban figures
KABUL (Reuters) – A delegation from Afghanistan’s High Peace Council has traveled to Dubai to meet former and current Taliban figures, in the hope of laying the groundwork for peace talks to end Afghanistan’s long conflict, sources familiar with the mo…
EU eases Zimbabwe sanctions, keeps them on Mugabe
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union suspended sanctions on eight of Zimbabwe’s most powerful military and political figures on Monday, but kept them on President Robert Mugabe and his wife, in a cautious easing of policy after last year’s disputed …
German coalition hurt by scandal but won’t break
BERLIN (Reuters) – The fall of a conservative minister has poisoned the atmosphere in Germany’s new left-right coalition, but party leaders made clear on Monday they would not let this derail the government at a sensitive moment for its reform program….
After slow start, Albania and Kosovo look to potential as partners
TIRANA/PRISTINA (Reuters) – Shortly after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia six years ago, neighboring Albania said it would bequeath its Adriatic port of Shengjin to its landlocked ethnic kin.
Suspected Egyptian militants raise stakes in insurgency
CAIRO (Reuters) – The bombing of a tourist bus in Egypt by suspected Muslim militants marks a strategic shift to soft targets that could devastate an economy already reeling from political turmoil.
Gas blast shakes apartment buildings in central Istanbul
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – An explosion caused by a gas leak tore through a residential building near central Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Monday, injuring several people and sending debris spewing into a narrow side street, city officials said.
Iran’s Khamenei backs nuclear talks but not optimistic
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s supreme leader vowed to continue nuclear talks resuming with world powers on Tuesday despite some reservations, in his strongest sign of support for moderate President Hassan Rouhani’s push to resolve the conflict peacefully.
Rescued South Africa gold miners arrested, charged
BENONI, South Africa (Reuters) – Twenty two artisanal gold miners who came out of a disused and temporarily blocked shaft near Johannesburg over the last two days have been arrested and will be charged with illegal mining, South African police said on …
