U.N. chief appoints Germany’s Martin Kobler as Congo envoy
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed former German diplomat Martin Kobler on Monday as his special envoy to the volatile Democratic Republic of Congo, succeeding former U.S. diplomat Roger Meece in July.
Italy local elections give boost to PM Letta
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s battered center-left won the election for mayor of Rome and 15 other major cities on Monday, giving a lift to Prime Minister Enrico Letta as he strives to control an uneasy coalition with traditional rivals on the right.
Syrian war enters new phase but no end in sight
AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are massing around Aleppo in preparation for an offensive to retake the city and build on battlefield gains that have swung the momentum of Syria’s war to Assad and his Hezbollah allies…
UK rejects accusations its use of U.S. spy system was illegal
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Monday dismissed as “baseless” accusations that security agencies had been circumventing British law by using information gathered on British citizens by PRISM, a secret U.S. eavesdropping program.
Kenya jails nine Somalis to five years for piracy
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) – A Kenyan court sentenced nine Somali citizens each to five years in prison on Monday after finding them guilty of violently hijacking a vessel, MV Magellan Star, in the Gulf of Aden in September 2010.
Northern Irish police seize arms cache ahead of G8
BELFAST (Reuters) – Northern Ireland police seized explosives and munitions during a sweep of Irish militant nationalists on Monday, a week before world leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama travel to the province for the Group of Eight summit….
Zimbabwe starts registering new voters as poll looms
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe began registering new voters on Monday in a push to meet a Constitutional Court order to hold elections by July 31, even though one of the two main parties wants a delay to allow for reform of the media and security forces.
South Sudan says keep exporting oil to Sudan despite stoppage threat
JUBA (Reuters) – South Sudan continues to pump oil to Sudan despite a threat from its neighbor to stop cross-border flows in a row over alleged support for rebels, its oil minister said on Monday.
Taliban beheads two boys in southern Afghanistan
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Taliban fighters beheaded two boys aged 10 and 16 as a warning to villagers not to cooperate with the Afghan government, local officials said.
Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant had generator problem: envoy
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Iran’s Russian-built nuclear power plant has experienced technical problems with its generator and experts are working to resolve the issue, Tehran’s envoy to Moscow said on Monday.
