River Thames crossing closed in UK security incident
LONDON (Reuters) – Police shut a major bridge and tunnel across the River Thames near London on Friday after arresting a man acting “unusually” and finding a suspicious item.
Syria edges ex-contractor Snowden out of Putin, Obama talk
WASHINGTON/ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama did not discuss Edward Snowden during their talks on Friday, despite the United States’ pending extradition request for the former spy agency…
Baghdad, Big Oil on alert for retaliation to a Syria strike
ARBIL, Iraq/LONDON (Reuters) – Baghdad and foreign oil companies at work in Iraq’s giant oilfields are adopting extra security measures in anticipation of retaliatory attacks if the United States strikes neighboring Syria, industry sources said on Frid…
Putin says Belarus potash dispute needs to be resolved
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday it was necessary to resolve a potash dispute with Belarus, which led to the arrest of the boss of producer Uralkali, but said it was important to avoid escalating the pr…
U.S. spy agencies decry latest Snowden revelations
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. spy agencies said on Friday that the latest media revelations based on leaks from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden will likely damage U.S. and allied intelligence efforts.
Clashes flare at pro-Mursi marches across Egypt, two dead
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt/CAIRO (Reuters) – Two people were killed in skirmishes as supporters of deposed president Mohamed Mursi thronged Egypt’s cities and towns on Friday for the third time in eight days, trying to rattle an army-backed government bent on c…
Iranian New Year greetings leave Israelis perplexed, pleased
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israelis reacted with a mixture of pleasant surprise and wary skepticism on Friday to reports that the new Iranian president and his foreign minister had both issued greetings to mark the Jewish New Year.
Saudi police deny report of young man killed in security raid
DUBAI (Reuters) – A young Saudi man was killed during a raid by security forces in the restive town of Awamiya in the eastern part of the country, a local news website reported, in a development that could further stoke tensions in the area.
France to await U.N. inspector report before Syria action: Hollande
ST. PETERSBURG (Reuters) – France will await conclusions by U.N. inspectors investigating last month’s chemical weapon attack in Syria before deciding on any action, President Francois Hollande said on Friday.
France says would only target military sites in Syria attack
ST. PETERSBURG (Reuters) – Any strikes on Syria would be limited to military targets, French President Francois Hollande said on Friday.




