Italian socialist Sassoli elected EU Parliament speaker
The European Parliament elected Italian socialist lawmaker David Sassoli on Wednesday as its speaker for the next 2-1/2 years, completing the round of appointments for the bloc’s top jobs after EU elections in May.
At least 44 killed as air strike hits Libya migrant detention center: U.N.
An air strike hit a detention center for mainly African migrants in a suburb of the Libyan capital Tripoli late on Tuesday, killing at least 44 people and wounding more than 130, the United Nations said.
Intra-Afghan peace meeting in Qatar aimed at building trust
Taliban officials are due to meet a group of Afghan delegates in Doha this weekend as diplomatic efforts build to withdraw foreign forces from Afghanistan and end years of violence that continued this week with a devastating bomb attack in Kabul.
France says Iran will gain nothing by breaking with nuclear deal
Iran will gain nothing by departing from the terms of its nuclear agreement, the French foreign ministry said on Wednesday, responding to Tehran’s announcement that it will boost the enrichment level of its uranium.
Germany says no need for cabinet to back new Commission chief
It is up to the European Council of EU leaders to nominate a new European Commission chief and not a national government, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said on Wednesday, dismissing a call for the cabinet to be involved.
Modest rise in Indian military spending likely, modernization on hold
India is likely to stick to a modest rise in defense spending in the 2019/2020 budget due on Friday because of tight government finances, officials said, further delaying a long-planned military modernization program.
Russia accused of cover-up over lethal submarine fire
Russian officials faced accusations of trying to cover up the full details of an accident on board a military submarine that killed 14 sailors, but the Kremlin on Wednesday defended its record.
Amsterdam’s first woman mayor plans red light district overhaul
Amsterdam’s first female mayor launched plans on Wednesday to overhaul the city’s red light district and its window displays, in a bid to protect sex workers from gawping tourists.
Japan, hit by torrential rains, orders over one million to evacuate
Japan ordered more than one million people on the southernmost island of Kyushu to take shelter in evacuation centers and other safe areas on Wednesday as heavy rains triggered small landslides and threatened to cause widespread flooding.
Sweden analyzing Assange evidence, holds off on investigation order
Sweden’s prosecution authority will hold off on asking Britain to allow it to question WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange about a 2010 rape allegation until it has finished analyzing available evidence, the authority said on Wednesday.
