Syria says Interfax Assad comments on not giving up power inaccurate
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Syrian state media dismissed as “not accurate” a report by news agency Interfax that President Bashar al-Assad told visiting Russian parliamentarians he has no intention of giving up power and the issue is not up for discussion.
South Africa’s AMCU union to strike at world’s top platinum producers
RUSTENBURG, South Africa (Reuters) – The main trade union for South African platinum miners will strike next week at the world’s top three producers, hitting over half of global output and the margins of companies struggling to make profits.
Twenty Pakistani soldiers killed, PM cancels Davos trip
DERA ISMAIL KHAN/MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) – A bomb planted by Taliban insurgents ripped through a vehicle carrying Pakistani troops on Sunday, killing 20 soldiers and prompting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to cancel his trip to the World Economic F…
Seven seriously hurt in Bangkok blast; military urges end to crisis
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Twenty-eight people were wounded, seven seriously, in explosions on Sunday at a camp of anti-government protesters in Bangkok, the latest violence in a prolonged political crisis dividing the country and threatening the Thai economy…
Russia’s Putin denies large-scale Olympic corruption
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that any large-scale corruption surrounded the Sochi Winter Olympics and challenged those with allegations of misconduct to come forward with proof.
Indian minister pledges cooperation for probe into wife’s death
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – An Indian government minister promised to cooperate in a probe into the death of his wife days after she accused him of adultery in a case that has become a political embarrassment for the ruling Congress in an election year.
Berlusconi and Italy’s left head strike electoral reform deal
ROME (Reuters) – Silvio Berlusconi has returned to the political scene after a tax fraud conviction, striking a deal with the leader of the largest center-left party on electoral reform that could give Italy badly needed stability.
IMF, U.N. officials among 21 killed in Kabul suicide attack
KABUL (Reuters) – A Taliban suicide bomber and gunmen attacked a restaurant popular with foreigners in the heart of the Afghan capital Kabul, killing 21 people including three United Nations staff and the International Monetary Fund’s top representativ…
Eritrean forces board ship in Red Sea, not pirates: officials
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Eritrean forces have boarded a merchant vessel that was in their territorial waters in an incident the crew initially reported as a pirate attack, maritime officials said on Sunday.
French President Hollande’s approval rating stable, poll shows
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande’s approval rating remained unchanged following a news conference to announce economic reforms and after reports of an affair with actress Julie Gayet put his private life in the spotlight, a poll sho…
