German prosecutors probe firms for Syria chemical weapons links
BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government has asked federal prosecutors to examine whether German firms broke the law by exporting equipment to Syria during the 1980s and early 1990s that may have helped the country to develop chemical weapons.
Exclusive: The mysterious journey of the Libya oil tanker
TRIPOLI/LONDON (Reuters) – What began late last year as a routine new assignment for Pakistani sea captain Mirza Noman Baig ended in a dramatic night-time rescue as U.S. special forces seized the ship his family said he was forced to operate by Libyan …
Bulgarian sentenced to year in jail for spreading radical Islam
SOFIA (Reuters) – A Bulgarian man was sentenced to a year in jail on Wednesday for spreading radical Islam, in a case seen as a test for the delicate relations between the country’s minority Muslims and Orthodox Christian majority.
Niger fears contagion from Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamists
DIFFA, Niger (Reuters) – A proverb in the Hausa language, spoken on both sides of the border between Niger and Nigeria, warns: “When your neighbor’s beard is on fire, fetch water and soak your own.”
Israel approves 184 new settlement homes
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s Jerusalem municipality approved building plans on Wednesday for 184 new homes in two Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, drawing anger from Palestinians engaged in faltering statehood talks.
Syrian rebels seize prison near Jordan and free inmates: activists
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Rebels seized a prison outside the city where Syria’s uprising began three years ago this month and freed dozens of inmates, activists said on Wednesday.
Israeli troops kill Palestinian teenager in West Bank
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian teenager on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said, in the latest killing to overshadow U.S.-brokered peace talks.
Maoist students in angry protest over fuel price rise in Nepal
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Maoist student activists led a partial strike in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu and stoned or set fire to a dozen vehicles on Wednesday, demanding that the newly elected government cancel a fuel price rise.
Swedish ‘serial killer’ who made false confessions freed after 20 years
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – A man once believed to be one of Sweden’s worst serial killers was freed by court order on Wednesday after spending two decades confined in a mental institution after a string of false murder confessions.
Russia, Syria decry U.S. closure of Syrian embassy
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Syria and its Russian ally on Wednesday criticized the decision by the United States to suspend the operations of Syria’s embassy in Washington and consulates in other cities.
