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…
Toronto mayor votes against Mandela; a mistake, he says
TORONTO (Reuters) – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is not perfect, as His Honor has freely admitted in the past, notably after confessing to smoking crack cocaine, probably while in “a drunken stupor”.
Russia to U.S. on Crimea annexation: Accept it and move on
MOSCOW (Reuters) – U.S. policymakers need to calm down, maybe do some yoga and accept that Crimea is now part of Russia, a senior Russian diplomat said on Thursday in unusually caustic remarks directed at Moscow’s former Cold War-era adversary.
Chile hit by powerful quake aftershock, no major damage
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Chile late on Wednesday but there were no reports of damage and a precautionary tsunami alert along the coast and in neighboring Peru was called off.
Saudi court sentences al-Qaeda ideologue to death: paper
RIYADH (Reuters) – A Saudi Arabian court on Wednesday sentenced a top al-Qaeda strategist to death and jailed 15 others for their role in a series of attacks in the kingdom last decade, Saudi newspapers reported on Thursday.
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 distribution business near Naples, officials said on Thursday.
Lebanon marks ‘devastating’ milestone with millionth refugee
TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) – The number of Syrian refugees who have fled to Lebanon officially topped 1 million on Thursday, highlighting the growing humanitarian catastrophe caused by Syria’s civil war and the huge burden placed on its poorly prepared…
Libya sees ‘good intentions’ at talks with rebels, ports might reopen within days
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – Libya sees “good intentions” at ongoing 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.
Risks of violence and fraud haunt landmark Afghan election
KABUL (Reuters) – Even if the Taliban fail to hobble the Afghan presidential election on Saturday, it could take months for a winner to be declared at a time when the country desperately needs a leader to stem rising violence as foreign troops prepare …
Le Pen faces reality check in depressed French towns
PARIS (Reuters) – Far-right leader Marine Le Pen humbled France’s establishment with a powerful showing in local elections. Now comes the hard part: proving her party can improve everyday life in the gritty, problem-ridden towns it will run.
