Syrian army launches offensive in Homs city
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a military offensive on Saturday against rebel-held areas of Homs, the country’s third-largest city and a centre of the two-year-old uprising against his rule.
Rebels kill policeman, injure 14 others in Chechnya
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Rebels have killed a Russian policeman and injured 14 others in Chechnya, police said on Saturday, a rare clash in the now mostly calm North Caucasus republic which lies near to the venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Five dead in Somali port city as leadership dispute rages
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – At least five people have been killed in two days of fighting in a strategic Somali port city, a militia commander said on Saturday, despite talks to end a leadership row aimed at stopping a slide back into broader clan warfare.
Italy to cut spending, sees risks of protests: report
MILAN (Reuters) – Italy will resume public spending cuts to find resources for tax cuts to kick start growth, Economy Minister Fabrizio Saccomanni told daily Corriere della Sera on Saturday.
Obamas to meet Mandela family, not visit hospital
PRETORIA (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will meet on Saturday with relatives of anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, but they will not visit the hospital where the former South African president is critically ill, …
United States ‘not threatened’ by China’s surge in Africa: Obama
PRETORIA (Reuters) – The United States does not feel threatened by the growth of trade and investment in Africa by China and other emerging powers, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Saturday.
American student killed in Egypt violence taught English
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (Reuters) – An American college student stabbed to death during a protest in Egypt was in the country teaching English to children and improving his Arabic, according to a Facebook post on Saturday that appeared to be from his family….
Bomb in Thai south kills eight soldiers
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Suspected Muslim rebels in southern Thailand killed eight soldiers in a roadside bomb attack on Saturday, days after the government rejected demands for a ceasefire over the Islamic holiday of Ramadan starting next month.
China’s troubled Xinjiang hit by more violence: state media
BEIJING (Reuters) – More than a hundred people, riding motorbikes and wielding knifes, attacked a police station in China’s ethnically divided western region of Xinjiang, state media said on Saturday, in the latest unrest to hit the restive region in t…
Cambodia bans foreign radio programs in run-up to election
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodia has banned local radio stations from broadcasting content from foreign media in the run-up to a general election next month and also told them to stop carrying reports on foreigners playing any role in the campaign.
