Internal Syrian opposition group rejects Geneva 2 talks
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s centrist internal opposition group, which rejects the armed insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad, said on Thursday that it will not attend peace talks in Switzerland next week, in a setback for the negotiations.
UK swing to the right could lift Scottish independence campaign
LONDON (Reuters) – The struggling campaign for Scottish independence could get a lift from an expected swing to an anti-EU party in Britain’s European parliament elections in May, the leader of Scotland’s Green Party said on Thursday.
Bouteflika “fine”, back in Algeria after health checks -source
ALGIERS (Reuters) – Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s health is “fine” and he has returned to Algeria after a checkup at a Paris hospital this week, a source close to the presidency said on Thursday.
Prosecutors build Hariri bomb plot case on cellphone logs
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Four men accused of assassinating Lebanese statesman Rafik al-Hariri used dozens of mobile phones during the last weeks of his life to coordinate the massive car bombing that killed him and 21 others in 2005, prosecutors said on T…
Israel warns Hamas over upsurge in rocket fire from Gaza
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Islamist Hamas movement is probably not responsible for a recent upsurge in rocket fire out of Gaza where it rules, but will be made to suffer if the salvoes continue, a senior Israeli military official said.
Nigerian president replaces military chiefs, loses ally in party crisis
ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan replaced his entire military leadership on Thursday after serious setbacks in the struggle against an Islamist insurgency, and he lost a close political ally who quit as crisis grips the ruling par…
Iraqis go about their lives at mercy of nameless bombers
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The day after one of Iraq’s bloodiest days for months, shoppers and drivers packed the streets of Baghdad on Thursday, grimly aware that death can strike anywhere, any time.
Ukraine parliament pushes through sweeping anti-protest law
KIEV (Reuters) – Supporters of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich rammed a sweeping law through parliament on Thursday in an attempt to curb anti-government protests, sparking an outcry from the opposition and raising tensions on the streets.
India’s Rahul Gandhi to lead party campaign, not formal PM candidate
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s Rahul Gandhi will lead the Congress party’s campaign for national elections due by May, but he will not be formally announced as the party’s candidate for prime minister, a senior party leader said on Thursday.
Suicide car bomb kills three in Hezbollah stronghold near Syria
HERMEL, Lebanon (Reuters) – A suicide car bomber killed three people in a Hezbollah stronghold on Lebanon’s northern border with Syria on Thursday, the latest sign of the Syrian civil war’s creeping impact on its small Mediterranean neighbor.
