Suicide bomber kills 23 Iraqi army recruits
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A suicide bomber killed 23 Iraqi army recruits and wounded 36 in Baghdad on Thursday, officials said, in an attack on men volunteering to join the government’s struggle to crush al Qaeda-linked militants in Anbar province.
Fidel Castro, 87, makes rare public appearance
HAVANA (Reuters) – Former Cuban President Fidel Castro made a surprise appearance on Wednesday evening at the opening of a Havana cultural center sponsored by one of his favorite Cuban artists.
U.S. embassy photo, tweet about civil war anger Sri Lanka military
COLOMBO (Reuters) – The U.S. embassy in Colombo posted a photograph on Twitter on Thursday which it said showed a site where the Sri Lankan army killed hundreds of families towards the end of the civil war in 2009, prompting an angry response from the …
Afghanistan to free most inmates seen by U.S. as threat
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan has enough evidence to try only 16 of 88 prisoners that the United States considers a threat to security and plans to free the remaining detainees, the president’s spokesman said on Thursday.
Czech president says he will appoint new PM within days
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech President Milos Zeman will appoint Social Democrat leader Bohuslav Sobotka as prime minister within days, he told Reuters on Thursday, opening the way for a centre-left coalition to try to revive the economy after months of pol…
Sollecito not Amanda Knox’s “puppy”, defense tells court
FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters) – Italian Raffaele Sollecito was not a “puppy” who committed murder out of love for U.S. student Amanda Knox, his lawyer argued on Thursday as she concluded her defense to charges the pair murdered 21-year-old Meredith Kercher…
Condition of former Israeli leader Sharon worsens
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The condition of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in a coma since 2006, has deteriorated sharply in recent hours and he is close to death, the hospital treating him said on Thursday.
Japan urges ‘hotline’ with China, plays down shrine visit
PARIS (Reuters) – Japan, at odds with China on territorial and other issues, took its case to Europe on Thursday, defending Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to a war shrine and reiterating its call for an emergency hotline between Tokyo and Beijing.
Tunisia’s premier resigns for caretaker government, protests hit south
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia’s Islamist Prime Minister Ali Larayedh resigned on Thursday to make way for a non-partisan caretaker government as part of a deal with his opponents to complete a transition to democracy.
Syria opposition holds first “unified” meet ahead of peace talks
CORDOBA, Spain (Reuters) – Disparate Syrian opposition groups, including several Islamist rebel representatives, met for the first time in the Spanish city of Cordoba to seek common ground ahead of peace talks with President Bashar al-Assad’s governmen…
