Foreigners escape Taliban siege in Kabul; Afghan child killed
KABUL (Reuters) – Taliban gunmen stormed a Kabul guesthouse used by a U.S.-based aid group and held four foreigners hostage for several hours on Friday, just eight days before Afghanistan holds a presidential election which the militant group has vowed…
Escalating attacks jangle nerves ahead of crucial Afghan vote
KABUL (Reuters) – With a week to go before Afghanistan’s presidential election, escalating violence across the country risks undermining the credibility of a vote meant to mark the first democratic transfer of power in Afghan history.
Ukraine-Russia row over Crimea spreads to U.N. nuclear agency
VIENNA (Reuters) – The U.N. atomic agency has got caught up in the diplomatic crossfire over Crimea as Russia insists its agreements with the Vienna-based watchdog now also cover the annexed Black Sea peninsula, a confidential exchange showed on Friday…
NATO names Norway’s Stoltenberg as next leader
BRUSSELS/OSLO (Reuters) – NATO chose former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as its next leader on Friday at a time when the Western military alliance must deal with a resurgent Russia following its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.
Kenyan president says tourism sector ‘on its knees’ after attacks
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya’s vital tourism sector is “on its knees” after attacks by al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants carried out in retaliation for its intervention in neighboring Somalia, President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Friday.
French minister in the soup over ‘disgusting’ food remark
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s trade minister had to eat humble pie on Friday after she was caught on film saying that food served at a state dinner for China’s President Xi Jinping was “disgusting”.
China takes no sides on Ukraine crisis, Xi tells Europe
BERLIN (Reuters) – President Xi Jinping said on Friday China would not take sides with the West or Russia over Ukraine, disappointing any hopes Beijing might add its weight to international pressure on Moscow for annexing Crimea.
China’s Xi says Japan’s wartime atrocities ‘fresh in our memory’
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday during a visit to Berlin that Japan’s wartime atrocities were still “fresh in our memory”.
Syria spillover taints Turkey poll in border province
HATAY (Reuters) – It is already past lunchtime and souvenir shop owner Halil Santoglu has yet to make a sale – a frequent complaint these days in this once bustling bazaar as the war in nearby Syria wreaks havoc with the economy of Turkey’s southern bo…
Zimbabwe’s Mugabe says will boycott EU-Africa summit over wife’s visa
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe will not attend a European Union-Africa summit next week if his wife is denied a visa to travel with him, his spokesman said on Friday.
