Philippine aircraft attack rebels in bid to end standoff in city
By Erik de Castro ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Reuters) – Philippine forces launched air strikes on Monday to root out rogue Muslim rebels from a southern city, stepping up efforts to end more than a week of clashes that have killed scores of people.
Merkel coalition doubts grow despite strong Bavaria result
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chances of preserving her center-right coalition were in doubt less than a week before a federal election, with a new anti-euro party rising in the polls and her current partner reeling from a regional setb…
Belgium investigates suspected cyber spying by foreign state
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgium said on Monday it was investigating suspected foreign state espionage against its main telecoms company, which is the top carrier of voice traffic in Africa and the Middle East, and a newspaper pointed the finger at the Uni…
China rejects interference in Hong Kong, ‘thoughtless’ British remarks
HONG KONG (Reuters) – China said on Monday it would not tolerate outside interference in the affairs of Hong Kong, rejecting as “thoughtless” a call from a British minister for people in the former British territory to have a genuine political choice.
West, Russia agree Syria to face consequences for non-compliance: U.S.
PARIS (Reuters) – The United States, Britain, France and Russia agree Syria must face consequences if it does not fully comply with a U.N. resolution to ensure a handover of its chemical weapons, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday.
U.S. and Cuba resume talks on direct mail service
HAVANA (Reuters) – The United States and Cuba sit down on Monday in Havana for a second round of talks on re-establishing direct mail services between the two countries after a 50-year ban.
Thai police clash with protesters rejecting rubber deal
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Around 500 protesters armed with slingshots clashed with riot police firing tear gas on Monday after blocking a highway in southern Thailand in a bid to force the government to increase a subsidy for rubber farmers.
Militant opposition groups step up crimes in Syria: U.N. report
GENEVA (Reuters) – Militant opposition groups in Syria, including foreign fighters invoking jihad or holy war, have stepped up killings and other crimes in the north, U.N. human rights investigators said on Monday.
Insight: After Syria, Iran laments its own chemical weapons victims
DUBAI (Reuters) – An Iranian war veteran fell into a coma in a Tehran hospital last week after suffering respiratory failure, his lungs ravaged by mustard gas during the Iran-Iraq war 30 years ago.
South Korea military shoots man trying to float across river to North
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s military shot and killed a man who undertook a rare attempt to enter North Korea on Monday by floating across a river that runs near the heavily militarized border, an official in Seoul said.
