Strasser denies wrongdoing as bribery retrial begins
VIENNA (Reuters) – Former Austrian Interior Minister and European lawmaker Ernst Strasser professed his innocence on Tuesday as his retrial in a cash-for-laws case began.
Gunmen storm government complex in Iraq’s Samarra
TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) – Gunmen in military uniform broke into the city council and court house in Samarra in northern Iraq on Tuesday, holding the facility for four hours until police and army stormed the compound, the mayor and police officials said….
Turkey scrambles jets after Russian plane flies near its Black Sea coast
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The Turkish Air Force scrambled eight F-16 fighter jets after a Russian surveillance plane flew parallel along its Black Sea coast, the military said on Tuesday, amid increased tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine.
East African states mull stabilization force for South Sudan
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – East African states are considering sending troops into South Sudan to help enforce a ceasefire deal between government forces and rebels, a regional bloc said, amid persistent accusations by both sides that the other is breakin…
Syria has relinquished about a third of its chemical weapons: OPCW
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Syria has shipped out about a third of its chemical weapons stockpile, including mustard gas, for destruction abroad, the global chemical arms watchdog said on Tuesday.
Syrian forces press assault on strategic town near Lebanon
AL-SAHL, Syria (Reuters) – Gunfire crackled and warplanes buzzed overhead as Syria’s military fought on Tuesday to take a town that would help President Bashar al-Assad seal a link between his coastal bastions and Damascus.
Cyprus approves privatizations needed for bailout
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus’s parliament approved plans for privatizations on Tuesday, averting a showdown with international lenders who insist on state selloffs as part of a 10 billion-euro ($13.77 billion) bailout.
Vietnam jails ex-journalist over anti-government blog
HANOI (Reuters) – A court in Vietnam sentenced a former journalist to two years in prison on Tuesday for speaking out against the country’s communist rulers, a verdict the United States expressed deep concern over and called to be overturned.
Powers to give Lebanon military, economic boost against Syria spillover
PARIS (Reuters) – France is preparing to seal a multi-billion-dollar plan to help modernize Lebanon’s armed forces as part of international efforts to stabilize a country hard hit by spillover from Syria’s civil war next door.
Court bans activities of Islamist Hamas in Egypt
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian court on Tuesday banned all activities of Hamas in Egypt in a further sign that Cairo’s military-backed government aims to squeeze the Palestinian Islamist group that rules neighboring Gaza, regarding it as a security thre…
