Italy’s Renzi brushes off talk of EU mocking over budget
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi brushed off suggestions of tensions with the EU on Friday after newspapers accused senior officials of smirking at a news conference when asked if Rome may be granted extra flexibility on its bud…
Jailed Kurdish militant leader calls for legal steps in peace talks
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the Turkish government on Friday to create a legal framework for their peace talks, whose fate is looking increasingly uncertain a year after he called a ceasefire …
Lebanese border towns become fuse for sectarian conflict
ARSAL, Lebanon (Reuters) – From the Lebanese border town of Arsal, you can see the smoke as Syrian government warplanes bomb rebel positions across the frontier. But its problems are even closer.
Fire destroys main market in Malian capital Bamako
BAMAKO (Reuters) – An overnight blaze at the main market in Mali’s capital Bamako destroyed around 2,000 shops, causing millions of dollars in damage as fire crews struggled to access the site and hydrants malfunctioned, residents and fire officials sa…
Syrian army says has control of western Homs province
CRAC DES CHEVALIERS, Syria (Reuters) – Standing at the gate of a Crusader castle captured from insurgents less than 24 hours before, a Syrian army officer declared on Friday that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were now in control of the west…
Dutch rightist politician quits over anti-Moroccan chants
(This March 20 story was corrected in the second paragraph to make clear Freedom Party did not make huge gains)
Poland speeds up missile defense plan amid Ukraine crisis
(This March 20 story was corrected to show selection of best offer to take place within months, not weeks, after clarification from Polish Defence Ministry; also replaces comments from Defence Ministry spokesman)
Syria can meet target for chemical disarmament: mission chief
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria could ship out its remaining chemical weapons within a month and still meet a mid-year target for their final destruction, the head of an international mission overseeing the delayed disarmament operation said on Friday.
U.S., Poland look at widening activities at Polish air base
WARSAW/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and Poland are looking at the possibility of including other NATO member states from eastern Europe in joint aviation activities at a Polish air base, a U.S. military official said on Friday.
Missing radioactive material may pose ‘dirty bomb’ threat: IAEA
VIENNA (Reuters) – About 140 cases of missing or unauthorized use of nuclear and radioactive material were reported to the U.N. atomic agency in 2013, highlighting the challenges facing world leaders at a nuclear security summit next week.
