France’s Macron offers tax cuts as part of moves to quell ‘yellow vest’ unrest
At the first major news conference of his presidency, Emmanuel Macron pledged to cut taxes on Thursday but also said the French would have to work longer as he outlined his response to months of anti-government protests that have shaken his authority.
Talks to restore Northern Ireland government to restart after year break: RTE
The British and Irish governments will on Friday announce a resumption of talks to restore devolved regional government in Northern Ireland after a hiatus in dialogue of more than a year, Irish state broadcaster RTE reported.
Death toll in South Africa floods and mudslides rises over 70
More than 70 people have been killed in South Africa after torrential rains along the eastern coast, officials said on Thursday, and rescuers were still recovering bodies.
Sri Lanka revises death toll from attacks down by 100
Sri Lankan officials revised the death toll from Easter Sunday bombings down by about 100 on Thursday, blaming the difficulty in identifying body parts at bomb scenes for the earlier inaccurate number.
Exclusive: U.S. accelerates plan to drastically downsize Kabul embassy – sources
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is accelerating a plan to cut up to half of the workforce at the U.S. embassy in Kabul starting at the end of next month, sparking concern it will undermine the fragile Afghan peace process, U.S. officials and congression…
Senior U.N. official meets Taliban negotiators in Qatar
The United Nations’ top official in Afghanistan met the Taiban’s chief negotiator in Qatar on Thursday, the movement’s chief spokesman said, as moves continue to try to start full peace negotiations to end more than 17 years of war.
Six staff from Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper returned to jail: lawyers
Six staff of Turkey’s opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper were sent to jail on Thursday to serve out the remainder of their sentences from a trial on terrorism charges, two of their lawyers said.
Sri Lanka attack death toll between 250-260, not 359: officials
The death toll in Sri Lanka’s Easter Day attack is around 100 fewer than the 359 originally thought, a two top government officials told Reuters on Thursday.
Sri Lanka authorities were trying to head off bombers when they struck: official
Sri Lanka’s top defense official said on Thursday that security agencies had been working to stop militant attacks in the days before Easter Sunday bombings that killed 359 people, and he was resigning to take responsibility for the failure.
Huge crowds join sit-in outside Sudan’s defense ministry
A huge crowd massed outside Sudan’s Defense Ministry on Thursday to demand civilian rule, a Reuters witness said, challenging the Transitional Military Council that removed President Omar al-Bashir earlier this month to cede power.
