Palestinians say no peace talks without ’67 borders agreement
RAMALLAH, West Bank/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Palestinians played down on Monday the significance of an imminent meeting in Washington of their top peace envoy with his Israeli counterpart, saying formal negotiation would not begin unless their opening…
Syria rebels seize government town in Aleppo province
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian rebels seized the northern town of Khan al-Assal on Monday, activists said, one of the last towns in the western part of Aleppo province that was held by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
Japan PM Abe’s mandate is much smaller than it looks
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s landslide election victory at the weekend was anything but a ringing endorsement from voters. The vast majority never voted for his coalition.
France stands by veil ban after riots
PARIS (Reuters) – Interior Minister Manuel Valls defended on Monday France’s ban on wearing full-face veils in public places after a police check on a veiled Muslim woman sparked riots in a Paris suburb at the weekend.
Syrian government, opposition must work to expel “terrorists”: Russia
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued a new call on Monday for the Syrian government and opposition to work together to expel all “terrorists and extremists from Syria”, Russian news agencies reported.
Japan PM Abe: Will lose public confidence if retreat from reform
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that his government would lose public confidence if it retreated from reform.
Egypt starts amending constitution despite political divisions
CAIRO (Reuters) – A panel of legal experts started work on Sunday to revise Egypt’s Islamist-tinged constitution, a vital first step on the road to fresh elections ordered by the army following its removal of Mohamed Mursi as president.
Panama finds MiG fighter jets on North Korean arms ship
COLON, Panama (Reuters) – Panamanian investigators unloading the cargo of a seized North Korean ship that carried arms from Cuba have found the two MiG-21 fighter jets the Cuban government had said were on board, the government said on Sunday.
Six killed in militant attacks in Egypt’s Sinai
CAIRO (Reuters) – Six Egyptians were killed and 11 others wounded in several attacks by militants in the Sinai peninsula near Egypt’s borders with Israel and the Palestinian Gaza strip, medical sources said on Monday.
Businesses in NZ’s capital grind to halt after quake, limited damage
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Wellington’s central business district ground to a halt on Monday as bank trading desks were closed and offices were shuttered for safety inspections after a strong earthquake rattled New Zealand’s capital city the previous day.
