German court sentences Somali pirate to 12 years for kidnapping
BERLIN (Reuters) – A German court sentenced a Somali asylum-seeker to 12 years in jail on Thursday, for his involvement in the pirate hijacking of a tanker in the Indian Ocean in 2010.
Students give Easter twist to dwindling Venezuela protests
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan students are marching barefoot, building crucifixes and planning to burn effigies of President Nicolas Maduro to try and breathe new life into their protest movement over Easter.
Jordanian jihadis returning from Syria war rattle U.S.-aligned kingdom
AMMAN (Reuters) – Jordanian Islamist Ahmad Mahmoud fought with rebels in Syria for six weeks earlier this year, then slipped back across the border to seek treatment for a war wound – even though the authorities had warned him not to return.
Taliban negotiator under house arrest in UAE, says Afghanistan
KABUL (Reuters) – A leading Taliban peace negotiator has been placed under house arrest in the United Arab Emirates, officials said on Thursday, dealing a blow to President Hamid Karzai’s efforts to jump-start a nascent Afghan peace process before leav…
Death toll from Guinea Ebola outbreak rises to 122
CONAKRY (Reuters) – The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in Guinea has risen to 122, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday, a sharp increase from a previous figure of 108.
Church must be open to sick, homeless, pope says on Holy Thursday
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis, starting four packed days of events culminating in Easter, said on Thursday the church must always be a refuge for the poor, the homeless and the sick.
Nigeria local authorities say most of abducted schoolgirls still missing
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – Authorities in Nigeria’s northeast Borno state denied on Thursday a statement by the armed forces which had said most of the more than 100 schoolgirls abducted by Islamist rebels had been freed in a military rescue operat…
Reporters charged with defamation remanded on bail in Thailand
PHUKET, Thailand (Reuters) – Two journalists were remanded on bail in Thailand on Thursday on charges of criminal defamation and other offences in connection with a story they published on the trafficking of Muslim minority Rohingya people from Myanmar…
Algeria’s Bouteflika poised to win re-election
ALGIERS (Reuters) – Algerians voted on Thursday in an election President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is expected to win after 15 years in power, despite speaking only rarely in public since suffering a stroke in 2013.
Saudi conservatives protest against Westernization
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabian conservatives have staged a rare protest outside the Royal Court in Riyadh against “Westernizing” reforms including moves to allow physical education for schoolgirls, local media reported on Thursday.
