Germany will help dispose of Syrian chemical weapons
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany will help destroy Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons materials as part of an international disarmament program, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Thursday.
Iran, big power nuclear talks hit snag on centrifuge research
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Negotiations between Iran and six world powers on implementing a landmark November deal to freeze parts of Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing some sanctions have run into problems over advanced centrifuge researc…
Japan aims to register 280 remote islands as national assets
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is set to clarify the ownership of 280 remote islands in its territorial waters and register them as national assets, a move that could rile China and South Korea, which are engaged in territorial disputes with Tokyo.
Bahrain suspends reconciliation talks with opposition groups
MANAMA (Reuters) – The Bahraini government has officially suspended reconciliation talks with opposition groups aimed at ending nearly three years of political deadlock in the U.S.-allied country.
Suicide bomber kills 13 Iraqi army recruits in Baghdad
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A suicide bomber killed 13 Iraqi army recruits and wounded more than 30 in Baghdad on Thursday, police said, in an attack on men responding to a government appeal for volunteers to help fight al Qaeda-linked militants in Anbar provi…
Belgian waste company mulls destroying Syrian chemical weapons
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgian waste management group Indaver is considering bidding in a tender to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal and has formally expressed interest with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Manila seeks clarification on Chinese fishing rules in South China Sea
MANILA/BEIJING (Reuters) – The Philippines said it was seeking clarification of rules from China’s Hainan province that say fishing boats need permission to enter waters under its jurisdiction, which the local government says covers much of the dispute…
Violence not hitting Iraq oil for now, but raises concern
LONDON/ARBIL (Reuters) – Iraq’s oil industry and its foreign investors see no cause to panic after al Qaeda militants seized major towns last week – troubled Anbar province, they note, could hardly be further from the main oilfields.
Security alert in southern Russia after five bodies found
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia has put security forces on combat alert in the southern Stavropol region after the discovery of five bodies with gunshot wounds and an explosive device, a regional security spokesman said.
Severe tropical cyclone bears down on Tonga
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A category three cyclone bearing down on the South Pacific island nation of Tonga with destructive winds is expected to make landfall in as little as 18 hours, Tonga Meteorological Services said on Thursday.
