North Korea says Jang Song Thaek, uncle of leader Kim Jong Un, executed
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea said on Friday Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un and previously considered the second most powerful man in the secretive state, has been executed after a special military tribunal found him guilty of treason…
Mafia death threat shows Italy still haunted by 1992 murders
MILAN/PALERMO (Reuters) – A death threat by a Sicilian mafia boss against the lead prosecutor in a historic mob trial has stirred grim memories of the murders of Italy’s top prosecutors two decades ago.
Italian kidnapped in Nigeria has been freed- Italy government
ROME (Reuters) – An Italian man kidnapped in Nigeria last week has been released, the Italian foreign ministry said on Thursday without giving further details.
Kiev protesters gather, EU dangles aid promise
KIEV (Reuters) – Thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in central Kiev, rebuilding barricades torn down by police, on Thursday as the European Union held out a promise of increased aid for Ukraine if it signed a trade and cooperation pact.
Opponents of French surveillance law race to get support for review
PARIS (Reuters) – Opponents of a new law in France that expands government powers to monitor phone and Internet connection data without judicial review scrambled for support on Thursday to force a review by the Constitutional Council.
U.S. vows support for Syrian opposition despite troubles
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is concerned about troubles facing Syria’s Western-backed opposition but it will keep supporting Free Syrian Army leader General Salim Idris and the moderate opposition, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said o…
Somali president names economist as new prime minister
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Somalia’s president named economist Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed as his new prime minister on Thursday, ending weeks of political paralysis as the country strives to secure fragile security gains against Islamist militants.
Catalonia sets referendum date next year, Spain says no
MADRID (Reuters) – Separatist parties in Spain’s Catalonia region set November 9 next year as the date for a proposed independence referendum on Thursday and agreed the wording, but the Spanish government immediately poured cold water on the plan.
Car bomb kills one police officer in Ismailia
Cairo (Reuters) – An Egyptian police officer was killed and 35 others were injured when a car blew up near their base in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia on Thursday, security sources said.
French prosecutor urges extradition of Kazakh tycoon
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (Reuters) – A French public prosecutor recommended on Thursday that Kazakh oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov, accused of embezzling up to $6 billion from his former bank, be extradited to Ukraine or to Russia, which wants to put him on …
