Fighting cuts off Damascus airport, flights suspended
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian rebels battled forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad just outside Damascus on Thursday, restricting access to its international airport, and the Dubai-based Emirates airline and EgyptAir stopped flights to the Syrian capit…
U.N. set to implicitly recognize Palestinian state, despite threats
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. General Assembly is set to implicitly recognize a sovereign state of Palestine on Thursday despite threats by the United States and Israel to punish the Palestinian Authority by withholding much-needed funds for the …
Mursi hopes Egypt constitution vote will ease crisis
CAIRO (Reuters) – An assembly charged with writing Egypt’s new constitution began voting on its final draft on Thursday, a process President Mohamed Mursi hopes will help to end a crisis which erupted when the Islamist gave himself sweeping new powers….
PM Cameron rejects press law after hacking scandal
LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister David Cameron rejected the idea of a law to regulate the British press on Thursday, risking a split in his coalition after an inquiry proposed a watchdog with legal backing to regulate the sometimes outrageous behavior…
Analysis: Mexico’s new president to reset drug war, push reforms
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s new president takes office on Saturday seeking to shift the focus away from a grisly drug war and onto economic reforms aimed at sparking fast growth and pulling the country out of the shadow of regional powerhouse Braz…
Tunisia says opposition inciting protests
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia’s Islamist prime minister said on Thursday he would not resign over violent protests over economic hardship this week that left over 200 injured, accusing opposition parties of sowing disorder.
U.S. gives Iran until March to cooperate with IAEA
VIENNA (Reuters) – The United States set a March deadline on Thursday for Iran to start cooperating in substance with a U.N. nuclear agency investigation, saying it would otherwise urge reporting the issue to the U.N. Security Council.
North Korea pushing ahead with new nuclear reactor: IAEA
VIENNA (Reuters) – North Korea has made further progress in the construction of a new atomic reactor, the U.N. nuclear chief reported on Thursday, a facility that may extend the country’s capacity to produce material for nuclear bombs.
Roadside bomb kills 10 civilians in Afghanistan
KABUL (Reuters) – A roadside bomb exploded under a passenger van in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing 10 people, most of them women and children, government officials said.
Rio Olympics, World Cup at risk with royalty bill, governor warns
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is under pressure to veto an oil royalty bill that will slash the revenues of Rio de Janeiro state and put the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup in peril, according to the state’s governor.
