Hezbollah chief says he met Qatari envoy in recent days
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Tuesday he recently received an envoy from Qatar, the first contact between the two sides since divisions over the crisis in Syria severed their once strong relations.
Ukraine protesters threaten tighter blockade over spurned EU pact
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s government faced a tightening blockade of key buildings by protesters in the capital Kiev on Wednesday amid a crisis over its rejection of closer ties with the European Union that has piled pressure on the creaking economy.
Twelve killed in Central African Republic attack: U.N.
BANGUI (Reuters) – Armed men killed at least 12 civilians and wounded 30, including children, northwest of the Central African Republic capital, United Nations officials said on Tuesday ahead of a Security Council move to end anarchy in the country.
Militias battle anew in Lebanon’s Tripoli, army arrests 21 fighters
TRIPOLI, Lebanon (Reuters) – Clashes resumed on Tuesday between Lebanese militias who back opposing sides of Syria’s war and 21 fighters were arrested by the army as it pursued a six-month-long mandate to end bloodshed battering the city of Tripoli.
Britain pushes U.N. resolution against ransom payments to extremists
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Britain submitted a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that calls on countries to prevent the payment of kidnap ransoms to extremist groups, like al Qaeda, which have earned hundreds of millions of dolla…
Defense chief could sign Afghan pact instead of Karzai: Kerry
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry suggested on Tuesday that Afghanistan’s defense minister or government, instead of a reluctant President Hamid Karzai, could sign a security pact enabling some U.S. troops to stay in the country a…
British news staff may face terrorism charges over Snowden leaks
LONDON (Reuters) – British police are examining whether Guardian newspaper staff should be investigated for terrorism offenses over their handling of data leaked by Edward Snowden, Britain’s senior counter-terrorism officer said on Tuesday.
Mexico leftist Lopez Obrador has heart attack but is improving
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who was runner-up to President Enrique Pena Nieto in last year’s presidential election, is fine after being admitted to hospital with a heart condition, his spokesman said on Tuesday….
Arafat did not die of poisoning, French tests conclude
PARIS (Reuters) – Yasser Arafat was not the victim of poisoning, French forensic scientists concluded on Tuesday, countering a Swiss report on the 2004 death of the Palestinian leader that found he was probably killed with radioactive polonium.
Approval for Russia’s Putin lowest since 2000: opinion poll
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Rising prices and an economic slowdown helped drive President Vladimir Putin’s public approval rating to its lowest level in more than 13 years last month, a Russian polling agency said on Tuesday.
