Netanyahu seeks to recruit far-right Lieberman into Israeli government
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday with far-right politician Avigdor Lieberman in an effort to recruit him into Israel’s government, and political sources said the prime minister agreed to his demand to be appointed defence minister.
Brazilian judge sentences Lula’s ex-chief of staff to 23 years
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – A one-time chief of staff for former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Wednesday for corruption, money-laundering and conspiracy in a vast bribery scandal at the state-run oil company.
Many Senate Democrats frustrated with slow U.S. Syrian refugee admissions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More than half the Democrats in the Senate, including many of President Barack Obama’s strongest supporters, signed a letter to him on Wednesday urging him to move more quickly to admit Syrian refugees into the United States.
Iraq’s Sadr pulls out forces from Baghdad districts hit by bombs
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Powerful Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered his armed followers to withdraw from the streets of Baghdad districts that have been hit by deadly bombings claimed by Islamic State, an aide said on Wednesday.
Citizens of Sanaa yearn for end to Yemen’s war
SANAA (Reuters) – Anxiety reigns in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, where ordinary people await the outcome of almost a month of peace talks they hope can end a devastating war.
First missing Chibok girl found in Nigeria: parents’ group
ABUJA (Reuters) – The first of more than 200 schoolgirls missing for over two years after they were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants in Chibok in northeast Nigeria has been found, a parents group and local officials said on Wednesday.
Kerry in Cairo to talk Mideast peace, Libya
CAIRO (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Cairo on Wednesday for talks with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Libya and to explore a proposal by the Egyptian leader to try to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Afghanistan signs draft pact with Taliban-allied militants
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan signed a draft agreement on Wednesday with the Hezb-e-Islami militant group in a move the government hopes could lead to a full peace accord with one of the most notorious warlords in the insurgency.
Militant attacks force Bangladesh’s gay community into hiding
DHAKA (Reuters) – Weeks after suspected Islamist militants hacked Bangladesh’s most prominent gay rights activist to death in his apartment along with an associate, another friend received a chilling message that he was next in line.
France hit by rail strike, demo by weary police
PARIS (Reuters) – Strikes by French railway and port workers halved train services and prompted cancellation of ferry links to Britain on Wednesday as labor unions sought to force President Francois Hollande’s government into retreat on labor law reforms.
German coalition partner dips below 20 percent for first time in 24 years
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD), who share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, fell to their lowest level in 24 years in a poll published on Wednesday, underscoring the need for possible new alliances after the next election.
Canada faces hot weather, winds in battle against wildfire
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – Firefighters were preparing to tackle hot weather and gusting winds on Wednesday as they battled a massive wildfire raging near Fort McMurray, Alberta, that threatens oil sands facilities and work camps north of the city.
‘Partial improvement’ in Turkish border town targeted by Islamic State: spokesman
ANKARA (Reuters) – The security situation in the Turkish border town of Kilis has improved partially, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Wednesday, after months of rocket fire from Syria killed 21 people there so far this year.
Four-nation talks on Afghan peace begin amid dim hopes, blame
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A fifth round of four-nation talks aimed at laying the ground for a negotiated end to the Afghan war began in Pakistan on Wednesday, as hopes faded for bringing the Taliban insurgents to the table quickly.
Queen unveils British government’s reform agenda ahead of EU vote
LONDON (Reuters) – Queen Elizabeth unveiled plans by British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday to overhaul prisons and help the poor under a social reform agenda he hopes to press after a referendum on European Union membership.
Exclusive: Trump would talk to North Korea’s Kim, wants to renegotiate climate accord
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Tuesday he is willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to try to stop Pyongyang’s nuclear program, proposing a major shift in U.S. policy toward the isolated nation.
Magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes western Ecuador: USGS
LONDON (Reuters) – A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck western Ecuador early on Wednesday, the U.S. Geographical Survey said.
Turkish plan to strip MPs’ immunity could go to referendum
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s ruling AK Party has won initial support in parliament for a constitutional change that could see pro-Kurdish and other lawmakers prosecuted, but failed to secure a strong enough majority for now to avoid a referendum.
Turkish warplanes hit PKK targets in Turkey, northern Iraq, 10 killed: sources
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Turkish warplanes hit Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq, killing at least ten fighters, security sources said on Wednesday.
China says military drills ahead of Taiwan inauguration part of annual plan
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Defense Ministry said recent military drills on its southeastern coast were annual exercises, after Chinese media had suggested they could have been timed ahead of Taiwan’s inauguration of a new president from a pro-independence party.
China sends graft inspectors to armed forces, academies: Xinhua
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s Central Military Commision, the country’s top military leadership body, has dispatched corruption inspectors to the armed forces and its military academies to conduct “re-examinations,” state news agency Xinhua said.
Brazil delays leniency deals in graft probe, calls for rigor
SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s new interim government is suspending negotiations with construction companies caught up in a massive corruption investigation in order to make leniency deals more rigorous and prove its anti-graft credentials.
Tight security in Hong Kong as top-ranked Chinese leader attends summit
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Thousands of police were deployed across Hong Kong on Wednesday as a top-ranked Beijing official addressed an economic summit, with tensions high amid calls for greater autonomy in the Chinese-ruled city or even independence from the mainland.
Migrants set fire to Lampedusa migrant shelter in protest
ROME (Reuters) – A group of migrants set fire to a shelter on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa on Tuesday that caused no injuries, an Italian fire official said, marking an increase in tensions in Italy’s packed centers as arrivals continue.
Combat power, allies best way to deter North Korea: U.S. military official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – North Korea is on a quest to develop nuclear-armed ballistic missiles that can strike the United States, and the best way to counter Pyongyang is with combat power and strong alliances, the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific said on Tuesday.
Mexico’s president proposes allowing same sex marriage nationally
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s president on Tuesday proposed allowing same sex marriage nationally, the latest in a series of progressive policies in a traditionally conservative country.
Venezuela leader sees ‘disappearance’ of opposition legislature
CARACAS (Reuters) – President Nicolas Maduro predicted on Wednesday the imminent demise of Venezuela’s opposition-led parliament, amid an acrimonious conflict of powers that is delaying solutions to its economic crisis.
Yemeni government suspends participation in peace talks, demands guarantees
KUWAIT (Reuters) – The Yemeni government on Tuesday suspended its participation in U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait and said it would only return if its opponents, the Houthis, committed to withdraw from cities they have seized since 2014 and hand over weapons.
Muslim states block gay groups from U.N. AIDS meeting; U.S. protests
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – A group of 51 Muslim states has blocked 11 gay and transgender organizations from attending a high-level meeting at the United Nations next month on ending AIDS, sparking a protest by the United States, Canada and the European Union.
U.S. eases sanctions on Myanmar in bid to promote growth, reforms
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States eased some sanctions on Myanmar on Tuesday to support political reforms and economic growth in the country but retained other measures to discourage human rights abuses and military trade with North Korea, U.S. officials said.
After fist fights, Turkish parliament set to vote on immunity for MPs
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s ruling AK Party on Tuesday faces the first test of its unity since Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced he was stepping down, as parliament prepares to vote on a divisive bill to lift lawmakers’ immunity from prosecution.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and supporters attacked
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and fellow anti-corruption activists were attacked, thrown to the ground and kicked by a group of men at an airport in southern Russia on Tuesday, according to video posted on social media.
Iraq’s Shi’ite rivalries risk turning violent, weakening war on Islamic State
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A power struggle within Iraq’s Shi’ite Muslim majority has intensified as attempts to form a new government flounder, threatening to turn violent and ruin U.S.-led efforts to defeat Islamic State.
Senate passes bill allowing Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia
(Reuters) – The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that would allow survivors and relatives of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks to file lawsuits seeking damages against the government of Saudi Arabia.
Turkey to take action on border town if it receives no help, Erdogan says
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey will take it upon itself to deal with attacks on the border town of Kilis if it receives no outside help, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, in a sign Ankara may be willing to act against Islamic State on its own.
Smugglers made $5-6 billion off migrants to Europe in 2015: Interpol
GENEVA (Reuters) – People smugglers made over $5 billion from the wave of migration into southern Europe last year, a report by international crime-fighting agencies Interpol and Europol said on Tuesday.
Egypt’s Sisi offers mediating role in Israel-Palestinian peace talks
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised Israel on Tuesday warmer ties if it accepts efforts to resume peace talks with the Palestinians, urging Israeli leaders not to waste an opportunity to bring security and hope to a troubled region.
North Korea’s new ad men try out pitches to new consumer class
PYONGYANG (Reuters) – “Pyongyang Spirit: A drink you won’t forget after drinking once”, reads the text of an ad for a clear, vodka-like North Korean alcohol.
Putin ready to discuss downing of passenger jet in Ukraine with Malaysian PM: Kremlin
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss the issue of the downing of a Malaysian airliner in Ukraine in 2014 with visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak this week, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Tuesday.
Pessimism pervades Syria talks aimed at salvaging peace process
VIENNA/AMMAN (Reuters) – Major powers sought at talks on Tuesday to reimpose a ceasefire in Syria and ensure aid reaches besieged areas, with Moscow and Washington deeply divided over the fate of President Bashar al-Assad and violence rumbling around the country.
Finland says refugees can return to safe Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia
HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland tightened restrictions on giving residence permits to asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia on Tuesday, saying it was now largely safe for them to return to their war-torn homes.
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