Russia says to push for Mideast free of mass-destruction weapons
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia wants to revive plans for a conference on ridding the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction now that Syria has pledged to abandon its chemical arms, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in comments published on Monday.
Gunmen kill three Egyptian policemen, one soldier in Sinai
CAIRO (Reuters) – Gunmen killed three policemen and a soldier in Egypt’s Sinai region on Monday, security sources said, and Islamist militants released a video of an earlier drive-by shooting of an army colonel, highlighting growing security risks to t…
Nigeria beefs up school security after attacks: sources
MAIDUGURI/DAMATURU, Nigeria (Reuters) – After Islamists killed 40 students in a dormitory attack, Nigerian authorities are taking measures to improve security around schools, including stepping up patrols and putting armed soldiers outside them and gua…
Pentagon chief, at Korean DMZ, says U.S. will not cut force in Korea
PANMUNJOM, Korean Demilitarized Zone (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel toured the Korean DMZ on Monday under the watchful eye of North Korean soldiers and said the Pentagon had no plans to reduce its 28,500-member force in the South despit…
UK Cameron’s party pledges budget surplus if it wins election
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Finance minister George Osborne promised he would continue to cut spending to wipe out Britain’s budget deficit if the Conservatives won the 2015 election, but signaled there could be more money for infrastructure invest…
Cardinals to begin reform summit with pope
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Eight cardinals will begin closed-door meetings with Pope Francis on Tuesday to help him reform the Vatican’s troubled administration and map out possible changes in the worldwide Church.
Turkey presents reforms aimed at pressing Kurdish peace process
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey on Monday announced reforms seen as designed to salvage a peace process with Kurdish insurgents, including changes to the electoral system, broadening of language rights and permission for villages to use their original Kurdis…
Car bombs kill 54 in Shi’ite districts of Baghdad
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Car bombs killed at least 54 people in mostly Shi’ite Muslim areas of Baghdad on Monday as suspected Sunni Muslim militants pursued a campaign to plunge Iraq back into sectarian strife.
Competition between Islamist militants may fuel big attacks
LONDON (Reuters) – The assault on Kenya’s Westgate shopping mall has brought into sharp relief a pattern likely to complicate efforts to counter Islamist militants – competition among jihadis can increase the risk of a major attack.
U.N. chemical weapons inspectors leave Syria
BEIRUT (Reuters) – U.N. chemical weapons inspectors investigating allegations of chemical and biological weapons use during Syria’s civil war left Damascus on Monday after their second mission in two months, witnesses said.