Russia criticizes groups setting conditions for Syria talks
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia is committed to arranging a peace conference on the Syria conflict but other countries and groups are complicating matters by trying to set preconditions, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.
Somalia may accept former islamist warlord in portcity: diplomats
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Somalia’s government is expected to recognize a former Islamist warlord it had opposed as interim leader of a strategic port city, diplomats said, defusing a crisis over rival claims to the post that had raised fears of a return t…
EU gives Serbia green light to start membership talks
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Serbia won the green light on Friday to start negotiations by January on joining the European Union, capping a remarkable transformation in the prospects of the former Yugoslavia since the wars of the 1990s.
Mugabe, Tsvangirai register to run in Zimbabwe elections
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and long-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai registered on Friday for elections scheduled for July 31 in which Mugabe is seeking to extend his three-decade rule.
Two blasts kill 10 people in western Iraq: police
RAMADI, IRAQ (Reuters) – Two bombs planted inside a senior Iraqi police officer’s car killed at least 10 people on Friday in the western city of Ramadi, police said.
Iranian official signals no scaling back in nuclear activity
ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – Iran will press ahead with its uranium enrichment program, its nuclear energy chief said on Friday, signaling no change of course despite the victory of a relative moderate in the June 14 presidential election.
Insight: From remote Mauritania, hacker fights for Islam worldwide
DAKAR (Reuters) – In Nouakchott, a dusty city wedged between the Atlantic ocean and western dunes of the Sahara, a young hip-hop fan coordinates a diverse group of hackers targeting websites worldwide in the name of Islam.
EU gives Serbia green light to start membership talks
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union leaders gave Serbia the go-ahead on Friday to start negotiations by January on joining the bloc, capping a remarkable transformation in the prospects of the former Yugoslavia since the wars of the 1990s.
Kerry steps up shuttle talks with Abbas, Netanyahu
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accelerated his Middle East shuttle diplomacy on Friday in the hope of persuading the Palestinians to resume direct peace negotiations with Israel stalled over its West Bank settlements.
France challenges arbitration award in Tapie inquiry
PARIS (Reuters) – The French state legally challenged the 403 million euros ($524 million) arbitration award granted a French tycoon in 2008 after his dispute with now-defunct bank Credit Lyonnais, a lawyer in the case told Reuters on Friday.
