International court members agree on trial exceptions for top leaders
AMSTERDAM/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court’s member states on Wednesday agreed to changes to the court’s trial procedures that could help defuse tensions between the court and the African continent regarding the approaching trial o…
EU leaders set for frosty dinner with Ukraine’s Yanukovich
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European leaders will come face-to-face with Viktor Yanukovich on Thursday for the first time since the Ukrainian president spurned their offer of a free-trade deal and decided to seek closer ties with Russia instead.
Mali’s ex-junta chief Sanogo held in custody
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Mali’s former junta chief, General Amadou Sanogo, has been detained after being questioned by a judge on Wednesday over what a senior judicial source said were accusations of post-coup violence by the army and financial crimes.
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.
