Iran denies ex-president said Assad’s forces used poison gas
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday denied reported comments by ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani accusing the Syrian government of using poison gas in the country’s civil war, saying the remarks had been “distorted”.
Russia sending spy ship to Mediterranean: Interfax
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia is sending a reconnaissance ship to the eastern Mediterranean, Interfax news agency reported on Monday, as the United States prepares for a possible military strike in Syria.
Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal staff strike over unpaid wages
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodian staff at a Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal went on strike on Monday, an official said, as a funding crisis deepened at a court already bogged down by resignations, political interference and the frail health of its elde…
Syria asks the United Nations to stop U.S. strike
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria has asked the United Nations to prevent “any aggression” against Syria following a call over the weekend by U.S. President Barack Obama for punitive strikes against the Syrian military for last month’s chemical weapons attack.
Japan vows quick action, public funds for Fukushima
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan vowed quick, decisive action, including the use of public funds, to tackle the worsening problem of contaminated water pouring from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, as the authorities step in to help the facility’s embattled…
U.S. briefs China on chemical weapons use evidence in Syria
BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Monday it had been briefed by the United States about evidence on the use of chemical weapons in Syria after U.S. President Barack Obama delayed a military response to last month’s chemical weapons attack near Damascus…
Afghan Taliban target U.S. army base as attacks mount
KABUL (Reuters) – Taliban fighters attacked part of a U.S. military outpost in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar on Monday, officials said, less than a week after targeting a Polish base in a nearby province.
No plan for French lawmaker vote on Syria: senior lawmaker
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s government will not cede to calls from opposition figures to have lawmakers vote on whether to take military action in Syria, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee Elisabeth Guigou said on Monday.
Scornful Syria hails ‘historic American retreat’ as Obama hesitates
BEIRUT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Syria hailed a “historic American retreat” on Sunday, mockingly accusing President Barack Obama of hesitation and confusion after he delayed a military response to last month’s chemical weapons attack near Damascus until a…
Mexico Lower House approves final part of divisive education reform
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican lawmakers on Sunday approved the final part of a bill to reform an education sector that badly underperforms global peers, legislation that has prompted thousands of school staff to protest in the streets.
