Syria misses chemical weapons handover deadline
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Syria on Wednesday missed a deadline to hand over all the toxic materials it declared to the world’s chemical weapons watchdog, putting the program several weeks behind schedule and jeopardizing a final June 30 deadline.
Four bombs hit central Baghdad, killing 23
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Four bombs exploded in central Baghdad near the heavily-fortified “Green Zone” and a busy square on Wednesday, killing at least 23 people, Iraqi security sources said.
Cost dispute halts work on Panama Canal expansion
MADRID/PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – The project to expand the Panama Canal, one of the world’s most important shipping routes, was in doubt on Wednesday after talks between the canal administrator and a Spanish-led building consortium fell apart and work gr…
Italy center-right attack Senate speaker over Berlusconi trial
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s center-right launched a fierce attack on the speaker of the upper house on Wednesday over his decision to have the Senate join a criminal case as an injured party against former Premier Silvio Berlusconi.
Iraqi efforts to block Iranian overflights ‘not enough’: U.S. official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Iraqi government needs to do more to prevent Iran from flying weapons and fighters through its airspace en route to Syria, a U.S. official told lawmakers on Wednesday.
West denounces repression of bloggers, religions in Vietnam
GENEVA (Reuters) – Western countries on Wednesday denounced Vietnam’s jailing of bloggers and curbs on the Internet and called on its Communist government to respect basic freedoms of worship and expression.
Youths riot in Kenya for third time over mosque raid, one dead
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) – Muslim youths fought police in the Kenyan port of Mombasa and one person was killed on Wednesday, witnesses said, in a third day of violence over the killing of a man in a police raid on a mosque used by firebrand preachers.
EU lawmakers push to bolster rights of stranded air travelers
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Parliament has called for stricter rules to make it easier for stranded air passengers to claim compensation from their airlines.
Italy’s Kosovo embassy embroiled in organized crime sweep
PRISTINA (Reuters) – The son of the late leader of Kosovo’s fight for independence, Ibrahim Rugova, was among 10 people arrested on Wednesday by European Union police on suspicion of organized crime involving the Italian embassy.
‘Time is on our side’, says EU in showdown over Ukraine
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – If there is a consistent message the European Union has tried to send since Ukraine rejected a trade deal last November in favor of stronger ties with Moscow, it is that it does not want to end up in a tug-of-war with Russia.
