U.S. military not targeting released Afghan prisoners, Pentagon says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military said on Friday it was not actively targeting any of the 65 detainees released by Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s government, but warned that if the freed prisoners returned to the fight, “they do it at their own…
German minister resigns in blow to new Merkel government
BERLIN (Reuters) – A senior German minister resigned on Friday amid accusations he leaked confidential information about a fellow lawmaker suspected of possessing child pornography, dealing a blow to Chancellor Angela Merkel and her two-month old gover…
Bulgarian police detain 120 after mosque attack
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgarian police detained more than 120 people on Friday after hundreds of nationalists and soccer fans attacked a mosque in the country’s second city Plovdiv, smashing its windows with stones.
France to send 400 more troops to Central African Republic
PARIS/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – France said on Friday it plans to send another 400 troops to help combat a crisis in the Central African Republic as U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon pleaded for more swift, robust international help to stop sectarian violence th…
Lebanon’s Hariri vows to confront Sunni radicals
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Leading Lebanese politician Saad al-Hariri vowed on Friday to tackle sectarian radicalism in his Sunni sect but said Shi’ite Hezbollah must end its involvement in Syria if Lebanon is to avoid being drawn into a “sectarian holocaust”….
Thousands flee Syrian town as ‘major assault’ looms
GENEVA (Reuters) – Thousands of people have fled a rebel-held town in Syria after it was bombed and shelled in an operation that has prompted fears of a major assault by ground troops, the United Nations said on Friday.
Libyan PM dismisses army officer’s plot to ‘rescue’ country
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan said on Friday the government was safe and security under control, dismissing a statement by a senior army official calling for the parliament to be suspended and the armed forces to “rescue” the cou…
Low-level conflict afflicts Bahrain on third uprising anniversary
MANAMA (Reuters) – Three years after Bahraini security forces subdued a popular uprising, the ruling family has launched a new dialogue with opponents to tackle simmering discontent; but a breakthrough remains elusive.
EU asks Spain for explanation over immigrant deaths
MADRID (Reuters) – The European Commission said on Friday it would ask Spain to explain why police fired rubber bullets at immigrants who were trying to swim to Spain’s north African enclave Ceuta from Morocco.
Delhi chief minister quits over delay in graft bill
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal resigned as chief minister of Delhi on Friday, frustrated by obstacles put in the way of an anti-corruption bill, and immediately proposed fresh municipal elections for India’s capital.
