Group linked to al Qaeda regains ground in northeast Syria
AMMAN (Reuters) – A group linked to al Qaeda recaptured much of its stronghold in the northeast Syrian city of Raqqa on Sunday, activists said, dealing a blow to rival rebel groups backed by Gulf Arab and Western states.
Bomb attacks kill at least 18 in Iraq
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Bombs killed at least 18 people in Iraq on Sunday, police and medics said, as the Shi’ite-led government sought to evict al Qaeda-linked militants from Falluja without a fight.
EU says nuclear deal with Iran to come into force on January 20
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Six world powers and Iran have agreed to start implementing an interim nuclear deal on January 20, the EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement on Sunday.
Iran says nuclear deal takes effect on January 20: agency
ANKARA (Reuters) – Iran’s interim nuclear deal with major powers will come into force on January 20, a spokeswoman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
Italy’s Renzi ratchets up pressure on PM Letta over reforms
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s center-left leader Matteo Renzi said the next two weeks will be “decisive” for Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s government, which has so far struggled to make incisive reforms.
Italy rescues more than 400 migrants in 24 hours
ROME (Reuters) – The Italian navy rescued more than 400 migrants from two boats south of Sicily on Saturday and Sunday as the immigration crisis that killed hundreds in shipwrecks last year continued.
Iraq’s Maliki threatens to cut funds if Kurds pipe oil to Turkey
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki threatened on Sunday to cut Kurdistan’s share of the federal budget if the autonomous region exports oil to Turkey via a new pipeline without central government consent.
Yemen tribes kill six soldiers, tell Norway DNO to end oil work
ADEN (Reuters) – Yemeni gunmen killed at least six soldiers in stepped up attacks on army installations in the southeastern Hadramout province, a local official and residents said on Sunday, after tribesmen warned Norway’s DNO to stop operations in the…
Palestinian police, refugee camp residents clash over U.N. strike
JALAZOUN, West Bank (Reuters) – At least 50 people were hurt on Sunday in a clash between Palestinian police and residents of a refugee camp protesting against a strike in a U.N. aid agency that has paralyzed services, police and an ambulance service s…
South Sudan rebel leader wants detainees freed before ceasefire deal: envoys
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar’s demand for the release of detainees remains a stumbling block to a ceasefire deal aimed at halting violence in the world’s youngest state, a U.S. envoy said on Sunday.
