Bulgaria says Hezbollah’s role in bus bombing unproven
SOFIA/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Bulgaria backed down on Wednesday from charges it made a few months ago that Hezbollah was behind a deadly bus bombing on its territory, complicating a British push for the EU to blacklist the militant Shi’ite Muslim group.
U.S. says Iran’s nuclear reactor plans ‘deeply troubling’
VIENNA (Reuters) – The United States said on Wednesday it was “deeply troubled” by Iran’s plans to start a reactor in 2014 that could yield nuclear bomb material while failing to give U.N. inspectors necessary design information about the plant.
NATO fleshes out details of smaller, post-2014 Afghan mission
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO fleshed out plans on Wednesday for the smaller training and advisory mission it will leave in Afghanistan once it ends combat operations at the end of 2014, including which allies will take charge of the mission in each region…
Merkel’s coalition rejects proposal for dual citizenship
BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government blocked legislation on Wednesday that could have granted dual citizenship to hundreds of thousands of immigrants even though it is trying to recruit skilled foreigners to alleviate a labor shortage.
Sudan says Iraq offers to deliver oil and be paid later
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Iraq has agreed to export oil to Sudan and accept deferred payment, the investment minister of the African country, which is battling severe economic crisis, said on Wednesday.
Latvia gets EU green light to adopt euro currency
RIGA (Reuters) – Latvia got the go-ahead on Wednesday to adopt the euro from 2014, crowning the Baltic state’s emergence from an economic crisis and signaling to the world that the often-beleaguered euro zone is still expanding.
“Teflon Angie” averts pre-election blow from drone affair
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s defense minister defended his handling of a costly drone deal and rejected calls to resign on Wednesday, averting an embarrassing setback for his boss Chancellor Angela Merkel months before an election.
Netanyahu signals readiness to consider 2002 Arab peace plan
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled readiness on Wednesday to consider a 2002 Arab peace plan whose terms were recently softened to include possible land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians.
Saudis release writer jailed for tweets against Islamism: lawyer
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has released prominent novelist Turki al-Hamad, who was arrested in December after a series of tweets criticizing extreme versions of Islamism and saying Islam needed renewal, an activist said on Wednesday.
Yemenis bury remains of founder of Houthi rebel group
SAADA, Yemen (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Yemeni Shi’ite Muslims chanting “death to America” and “death to Israel” buried the remains of the founder of the armed Houthi rebel group on Wednesday, nine years after he was killed in fighting with gover…
