Exclusive: Russian banks strengthen ties with blacklisted Syrian lenders
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Intent on supplying his government with arms, oil and food, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has turned to Russian banks to access world markets, and the lenders could open more doors to him, despite a risk of isolation from the U.S….
Egyptian Islamists call for daily protests before Mursi trial
CAIRO (Reuters) – Supporters of Egypt’s ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi called on Thursday for daily protests in the four days before his trial on November 4, raising the danger of more violence in a crisis that has already cost hundreds of liv…
Death toll in attack on Salafi-held town in Yemen rises to 24
SANAA (Reuters) – The death toll from a Houthi Shi’ite attack on a mountain town in northern Yemen held by their Salafi Sunni Muslim rivals has risen to 24, a Salafi spokesman said on Thursday, as the two sides fought for a second day.
France’s Le Pen starts row over freed hostages’ beards
PARIS (Reuters) – French far right leader Marine Le Pen was criticized on Thursday for questioning the beards and scarves worn by four French hostages on their homecoming after three years as prisoners of Islamist militants in the Sahara desert.
Congo army says hunting rebels deep into mountain bases
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Congo’s army said on Thursday it was hunting rebels deep into forests and mountains along the border with Rwanda and Uganda, the last insurgent hideouts after they were driven from towns they held during a…
Germany rejects U.S. criticism of export reliance
BERLIN (Reuters) – Angela Merkel’s conservatives on Thursday rejected U.S. criticism of Germany’s dependence on exports but her likely future coalition partner agreed Europe’s bulwark economy must do more to spur domestic demand.
China demands U.S. explain spying allegations linked to Australian missions
BEIJING (Reuters) – China is demanding an explanation from the United States after a report in an Australian newspaper said Australian embassies, including the one in Beijing, were being used as part of a U.S.-led spying operation.
United States condemns violence in Mozambique
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States condemned “reprehensible attacks” on civilians in Mozambique on Thursday and expressed concern about escalating violence between the army and opposition party Renamo.
More than 80 migrants found dead in Sahara after failed crossing
NIAMEY (Reuters) – The corpses of more than 80 migrants, most of them women and children who died of thirst, have been found in northern Niger after their vehicle broke down attempting to cross the Sahara Desert, military sources said on Thursday.
Khmer Rouge duo deny ‘Killing Fields’ role as case nears end
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – It might be the last time Cambodians hear the words of the elderly men prosecutors say were most responsible for the deaths and suffering of millions under the Khmer Rouge’s 1970s “Killing Fields” rule.
