Four Russian servicemen killed in North Caucasus bomb attack
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Four Russian servicemen were killed and seven wounded after a bomb hit their infantry combat vehicle in the restive North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, Russia’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Palestinian U.N. moves designed to avoid U.S. retaliation
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – When Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed onto 15 international conventions on Tuesday, he shocked the U.S. sponsors of troubled Middle East peace talks. But the move was carefully limited to avoid American retalia…
More Brazilian police sentenced to jail for 1992 prison massacre
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – A Brazilian court has sentenced 15 police officers to 48 years in prison each for their roles in the deaths of four inmates in the bloody crackdown of a 1992 prison riot that left 111 people dead.
Pakistan PM frees 16 prisoners to try to revive Taliban peace talks
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan has freed at least 16 Taliban prisoners with the approval of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, government and intelligence officials said on Thursday, in a move designed to invigorate a shaky peace process with the militant gr…
France’s Le Pen fined 10,000 euros over ‘Arab’ vote flyer
LILLE, France (Reuters) – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was fined 10,000 euros on Thursday over fake flyers distributed by National Front workers during 2012 legislative elections pretending to show a far-left rival calling for “Arab” votes in …
Ex-Berlusconi government official arrested for mafia collusion
NAPLES (Reuters) – Italian police arrested a former member of Silvio Berlusconi’s government, accusing him of colluding with the mafia to quash competition against his family’s petrol distributorship near Naples, officials said on Thursday.
Militants attack Iraq army battalion HQ near capital
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Militants attacked the headquarters of an Iraqi army battalion south of Baghdad overnight, killing at least 12 soldiers and bringing their fight against the government closer to the capital.
Turkey lifts Twitter ban after court ruling
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s telecoms authority lifted a two-week-old ban on Twitter on Thursday after the constitutional court ruled the block breached freedom of expression, an official in Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s office said.
Chad to withdraw troops from AU mission in Central African Republic
PARIS/N’DJAMENA (Reuters) – Chad said on Thursday it would withdraw its troops from an African Union peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic, a setback to attempts to build a large international force to stem religious conflict in the impoveri…
Libya sees ‘good intentions’ in talks with rebels, no deal yet
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – Libya has seen “good intentions” at indirect talks with eastern rebels which might lead to the lifting of their blockage of major oil ports within days, acting oil minister Omar Shakmak said on Thursday.
