Third time unlucky? Headaches await Merkel in new term
BERLIN (Reuters) – The breakdown in trust between Angela Merkel and Sigmar Gabriel can be traced back to June 2010, when the leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) leaked a confidential text message the chancellor sent him to Der Spiegel magazine.
Insight: U.S. and allies target Hezbollah financing, ties in Africa
DAKAR (Reuters) – The United States and its allies are clamping down on suspected Hezbollah activity in West Africa, which Washington says is a major source of cash for the Lebanese group as its patron Iran feels the pinch of sanctions.
Honduras seizes assets of suspected drug gang, including zoo
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – Honduran police and security forces on Thursday seized bank accounts and assets worth millions of dollars belonging to a gang of suspected drug traffickers singled out by the U.S. government, a Honduran official said.
Venezuela says U.S. bans Maduro from flying over Puerto Rico
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela said on Thursday the United States banned President Nicolas Maduro’s jet from flying through U.S. airspace over Puerto Rico en route to a state visit to China in what Caracas called an act of aggression.
Analysis: Obama may extend his hand to Iran’s Rouhani at U.N.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Next week’s U.N. General Assembly meetings will offer U.S. President Barack Obama a chance to extend a hand, both literally and figuratively, to new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
In latest overture, Rouhani urges world leaders to engage with Iran
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged world leaders on Thursday to “seize the opportunity” presented by his election to engage Iran in constructive dialogue and said his country was ready to facilitate talks between the Syrian g…
Paraguay’s new leader wants back into Mercosur
ASUNCION (Reuters) – Paraguay’s new president expects the country to be fully reintegrated into the South American Mercosur trade block next year, and he will ask the group to allow his country to negotiate independent bilateral trade pacts.
U.S. eyes co-development of anti-tank missile with India
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter this week proposed ways to deepen defense ties between the United States and India, including co-development of the next version of the Javelin anti-tank missile now built by Raytheon C…
France suggests it is ready to give weapons to Syria rebels
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande suggested for the first time on Thursday that Paris could arm Syrian rebels in a “controlled framework,” given that they were now caught between the Syrian government on one side and radical Islamist…
Putin sees hope in Syria deal; Kerry says it’s vital that U.N. acts
MOSCOW/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he could not be 100 percent certain a U.S.-Russian plan for the destruction of Syrian chemical arms would be carried out successfully, but he saw reason to hope it would.
