Iran says to continue building at Arak nuclear site despite deal
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran will pursue construction at the Arak heavy-water reactor, Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif was quoted as saying on Wednesday, despite a deal with world powers to shelve a project they fear could yield plutonium for atomic bo…
Syrian opposition to attend Geneva peace conference
CAIRO (Reuters) – The Syrian National Coalition opposition group will attend the long-delayed “Geneva 2” talks in January aimed at ending the country’s civil war, the group’s president, Ahmad Jarba, said on Wednesday.
Berlusconi expelled from Italian parliament over tax fraud
ROME (Reuters) – The Italian Senate expelled former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi over his tax fraud conviction on Wednesday, humiliating the veteran center-right leader who vowed to continue leading his party from outside parliament.
Egypt’s interim president to decide on voting system
CAIRO (Reuters) – An assembly amending Egypt’s constitution has left it to the army-backed interim president to decide on the voting system to be used in a parliamentary poll next year, state news agency MENA said on Wednesday.
U.S. affirms support for Japan in islands dispute with China
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States pledged support for ally Japan on Wednesday in a growing dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea and senior U.S. administration officials accused Beijing of behavior that had unsettled its neighbor…
Kerry to visit Middle East, Moldova and attend NATO talks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah next week to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace and to consult Israeli officials about Iran, the State Department said on Wednesday.
France to secure routes, population hubs in Central African mission
PARIS (Reuters) – A planned French intervention backing regional troops in Central African Republic will focus first on securing key trade routes and population hubs to stop “acts of revenge”, a French defense ministry source said on Wednesday.
Dominican Republic breaks off Haiti talks over immigration ruling
SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) – The Dominican Republic broke off talks with Haiti on Wednesday over a recent Dominican court ruling that potentially strips citizenship from more than 200,000 Haitian migrants, many of whom were born on Dominican soil.
Rivals look on China’s new security body with hope, and caution
HONG KONG (Reuters) – When Chinese leader Xi Jinping met U.S. President Barack Obama at the “Sunnylands Summit” in California in June, Xi’s aides peppered their American counterparts with questions about the inner workings of the National Security Coun…
Analysis: Reversible Iran deal puts more pressure on final talks
VIENNA (Reuters) – By dropping earlier demands that Iran shut down an underground uranium enrichment plant and ship material out of the country as part of a preliminary deal, nuclear negotiators have kicked some of the toughest questions forward to tal…
