Three Turkish soldiers killed, 14 others wounded in PKK attack in the southeast: army

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Three Turkish soldiers were killed and 14 others were wounded on Sunday in an armed attack by Kurdish militants during a military operation in the southeastern town of Nusaybin, Turkey's army said in a statement.

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Two rockets hit Turkish town near Syria border, injuring two: sources

DIYARBAKIR (Reuters) - Two rockets from Islamic State controlled Syrian territory struck the Turkish town of Kilis on Sunday, injuring at least two people, security sources said.

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U.S. says working on 'specific initiatives' to de-escalate Syrian violence

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is working on "specific initiatives" to reduce the violence in Syria and sees stopping the bloodshed in Aleppo as a top priority, a U.S. State Department spokesman said on Saturday.

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Sadr followers storm into Baghdad's Green Zone, political crisis deepens

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Hundreds of supporters of Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed into Baghdad's Green Zone and entered parliament on Saturday after Sadr denounced politicians' failure to reform a political quota system blamed for rampant corruption.

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Russia defends intercept of U.S. reconnaissance plane over Baltic

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday it had sent a fighter plane on Friday to intercept a U.S. aircraft approaching its border over the Baltic Sea because the American plane had turned off its transponder, which is needed for identification.

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Turkish warplanes hit PKK targets in southeast Turkey, northern Iraq: sources

DIYARBAKIR (Reuters) - The Turkish army carried out air strikes in rural parts of southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq, targeting logistics posts used by Kurdish militants, security sources said on Saturday.

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Bomb in Baghdad suburb kills at least 17: police sources

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber driving a car killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 40 others on Saturday in an attack near a group of Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims in a southeastern suburb of Baghdad, Iraqi police sources said.

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Iran's moderates make modest gains in run-off election - Iranian media

DUBAI (Reuters) - Moderate candidates allied to President Hassan Rouhani came out strongest in a second round of parliamentary elections in Iran, unofficial results showed on Saturday, but they appeared unlikely to win an overall majority.

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Islamic State-linked hackers post target list of New Yorkers

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A group of hackers linked to Islamic State has posted online a list of thousands of New York residents and urged followers of the militant group to target them, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.

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Strike on Afghan hospital last year not a war crime: U.S. military

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. military investigation has concluded that a deadly air strike in Afghanistan last year that destroyed a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders did not amount to a war crime but was caused by a number of factors, including human errors.

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China denies request for Hong Kong visit by U.S. carrier group: State Department

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has denied a U.S. request for a U.S. carrier strike group led by the USS John C. Stennis to make a port visit to Hong Kong, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.

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How France sank Japan's $40 billion Australian submarine dream

TOKYO/PARIS/SYDNEY (Reuters) - In 2014, a blossoming friendship between Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe looked to have all but sewn up a $40 billion submarine deal. Then French naval contractor DCNS hatched a bold and seemingly hopeless plan to gatecrash the party.

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Helmet cam footage shows Islamic State in battlefield chaos

(Reuters) - Islamic State may exult in online portrayals of jihadis sweeping victoriously across Iraqi battlefields, but a camera recovered from the helmet of a dead fighter offers a contrasting picture of chaos and panic in a battle with Kurdish peshmerga.

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North Korea sentences Korean American to 10 years hard labor

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's Supreme Court on Friday sentenced a Korean American man to 10 years of hard labor for subversion, North Korean media reported, in the latest conviction of a foreigner for crimes against the isolated state.

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At least 202 civilians killed in past seven days of Aleppo violence: Syrian Observatory

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo killed 123 civilians including 18 children during the past seven days of intensified violence in the northern Syrian city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

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At least 202 civilians killed in past seven days of Aleppo violence: Syrian Observatory

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo killed 123 civilians including 18 children during the past seven days of intensified violence in the northern Syrian city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

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China, Russia urge U.S. to drop Korea missile defense proposal

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Russia urged the United States on Friday not to install a new anti-missile system in South Korea, after Washington said it was in talks with Seoul in the wake of nuclear arms and missile tests by North Korea.

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Iran asks U.N. chief to intervene with U.S. after court ruling

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran asked U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Thursday to convince the United States to stop violating state immunity after the top U.S. court ruled that $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets must be paid to American victims of attacks blamed on Tehran.

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U.S. military softens claims on drop in Islamic State's foreign fighters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Thursday retreated from a top general's claim this week that the number of foreign fighters joining Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has plummeted by as much as 90 percent.

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U.S. military punishes 16 over 2015 Afghan hospital bombing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military will announce on Friday that has it taken disciplinary action against 16 service members over a deadly Oct. 3 air strike in Afghanistan that destroyed a hospital run by the international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, U.S. officials tell Reuters.

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Islamic State turns to selling fish, cars to offset oil losses: report

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State earns millions of dollars a month running car dealerships and fish farms in Iraq, making up for lower oil income after its battlefield losses, Iraqi judicial authorities said on Thursday.

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Obama fails to swing Britain behind EU as 'Out' takes poll lead

LONDON (Reuters) - Opponents of Britain's European Union membership have edged into the lead over the past two weeks, according to a YouGov poll which indicated President Barack Obama's intervention failed to swing support behind "In" vote in a June 23 referendum.

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North Korea rushes to re-test intermediate missile, fails again: South Korea

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired what appeared to have been an intermediate range ballistic missile on Thursday but it crashed seconds after the test launch, South Korea's defense ministry said, the second such failure in the run-up to next week's ruling party congress.

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German foreign minister criticizes Trump's 'America first' foreign policy

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday criticized U.S. Republican front-runner Donald Trump for a speech in which he said it would be "America first" if he were elected president.

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Air strikes on Aleppo hospital kill 20: observatory

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Air strikes hit a hospital in a rebel-held area of Syria's Aleppo, killing 20 people, including three children and the last pediatrician in the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday.

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U.N. envoy urges Obama, Putin to save Syria truce, peace process

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations mediator on Thursday called on the leaders of the United States and the Russian Federation to salvage the "barely alive" two-month-old ceasefire in Syria and revitalize the damaged peace process.

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China won't allow chaos or war on Korean peninsula: Xi

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will not allow chaos and war to break out on the Korean peninsula, which would be to no one's advantage, Chinese President Xi Jinping told a group of Asian foreign ministers on Thursday.

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Israeli forces kill Palestinian woman and brother, armed with knives: police

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police shot dead a Palestinian woman and her teenage brother on Wednesday, saying they were armed with knives and tried to carry out an attack at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank.

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Female suicide bomber wounds at least seven in Turkey's Bursa

ANKARA (Reuters) - A female suicide bomber wounded at least seven people when she blew herself up near the main mosque in the northwestern Turkish city of Bursa on Wednesday, a senior government official and a security source said.

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Paris attacks suspect Abdeslam extradited to France

PARIS (Reuters) - Salah Abdeslam, believed to be the sole survivor among a group of Islamist militants who killed 130 people in Paris in November, was extradited to France from Belgium on Wednesday.

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Iran's Supreme Leader says U.S. lifted sanctions only on paper

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader accused the United States on Wednesday of scaring businesses away from Tehran and undermining a deal to lift international sanctions.

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Australia rules out settling 800 asylum seekers as PNG says it will close camp

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea said on Wednesday it will close an Australian immigration center on a northern island after its Supreme Court ruled it unlawful, but Australia ruled out accepting more than 800 asylum seekers detained there.

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Geneva Syria talks to resume on May 10: RIA cites Russian official

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Syria peace talks in Geneva will resume on May 10, Russia's RIA news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying on Wendesday.

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Venezuela state employees to work two-day week to save energy

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's socialist government ordered public workers on Tuesday to work a two-day week as an energy-saving measure in the crisis-hit South American OPEC country.

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U.S. military used 'roof knock' tactic in Iraq to try to warn civilians before bombing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States borrowed an Israeli military tactic known as "roof knocking" to try to warn civilians before it dropped a bomb targeting Islamic State fighters in Iraq this month, but a woman was killed in the attack, a U.S. military official said on Tuesday.

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U.S. embassy warns citizens in Turkey about 'credible' terrorist threats

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The United States warned U.S. citizens in Turkey on Tuesday about "credible" terrorist threats to tourist areas in the country.

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Eleven shot dead in Cape Verde including two Spanish citizens: TV

PRAIA (Reuters) - Eleven people were shot dead in Cape Verde on Wednesday including eight soldiers, a local civilian and two Spanish citizens, state TV and police sources said.

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Fewer foreign fighters joining Islamic State: Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of foreign fighters joining the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria has decreased sharply in the past year to about 200 a month, a U.S. military official said on Tuesday.

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More migrants ferried from Greece to Turkey under EU deal

ATHENS (Reuters) - Two ferries left Greece for Turkey on Tuesday with 18 migrants on board and a government spokesman said Athens was doing all it could to process returnees under a deal with Turkey intended to stem a huge refugee influx into Europe.

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Iran and Russia move closer but their alliance has limits

DUBAI/MOSCOW (Reuters) - When Iran took delivery of the first parts of an advanced Russian air defense system this month, it paraded the anti-aircraft missile launchers sent by Moscow to mark Army Day.

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Obama: U.S. preparing 'shield' to block low-level North Korea threats - CBS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is preparing to defend itself against North Korea, positioning its missile development systems and setting up a "shield" to counter low-level threats from an "erratic" country, U.S. President Barack Obama told CBS in an interview that aired on Tuesday.

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North Korea seen readying another intermediate missile launch attempt: report

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears to be preparing a test-launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday, after what the United States described as the "fiery, catastrophic" failure of the first attempt.

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Air strikes kill five rescue workers near Syria's Aleppo: monitor

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Air strikes and rocket attacks by Syrian government forces west of Aleppo killed five rescue workers overnight, a monitoring group and volunteers working nearby said.

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Syrian food crisis deepens as war chokes farming

ABU DHABI/HASAKA, Syria (Reuters) - Syria's war has destroyed agricultural infrastructure and fractured the state system that provides farmers with seeds and buys their crops, deepening a humanitarian crisis in a country struggling to produce enough grain to feed its people.

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In European tour Obama shows support for his closest allies

HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - President Barack Obama spent the past four days in Europe visiting his two oldest and closest foreign political allies, spending considerable political capital on issues close to their hearts.

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Suspected Islamists kill Bangladeshi gay activist working for U.S. embassy

DHAKA (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants hacked to death a leading Bangladeshi gay rights activist employed by the U.S. embassy and a friend in an apartment in Bangladesh's capital on Monday, police said.

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Venezuela court blocks another opposition tactic to oust Maduro

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Supreme Court shot down on Monday one of the opposition's main tactics to oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro with a ruling that any constitutional amendment to reduce the presidential term could not be retroactive.

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Canada PM condemns 'cold-blooded murder' of hostage in Philippines

KANANASKIS, Alberta/MANILA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned on Monday the execution of a Canadian hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines, calling it "an act of cold-blooded murder."

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Driven up the wall by Trump, Mexico looks to recast image in U.S.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - At first, Mexico's government did its best to ignore Donald Trump. Then it likened him to Adolf Hitler. Now it has appointed a new ambassador to come up with a better plan.

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Iran in talks with Russia on heavy water sales: RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Iran is conducting talks with Russia about sales of heavy water, Russia's RIA news agency quoted an Iranian foreign ministry official as saying on Monday.

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Exclusive: Large majority of Senate pushes Obama to boost Israel aid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than four-fifths of the U.S. Senate have signed a letter urging President Barack Obama to quickly reach an agreement on a new defense aid package for Israel worth more than the current $3 billion per year.

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Car bomb near Damascus kills six people: monitor

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb on the outskirts of the Sayeda Zeinab district south of Damascus killed at least six people on Monday, a monitoring group said, the third bombing attack in the area this year.

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Saudi-led coalition says kills more than 800 militants in Yemen

DUBAI (Reuters) - More than 800 al Qaeda militants were killed in an offensive by Yemeni government forces and its Arab allies in the group's main stronghold in the port city if Mukalla, the Saudi-led coalition said.

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Obama plans 250 more U.S. troops for Syria, boosting force to 300

HANOVER, Germany/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will announce on Monday he plans to send as many as 250 additional U.S. troops to Syria, a sharp increase in the American presence working with local Syrian forces fighting Islamic State militants, U.S. officials said.

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Mexico hampered probe into apparent student massacre, panel says

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A panel of international experts on Sunday accused Mexico's government of undermining their probe into the fate of 43 trainee teachers apparently massacred in 2014, the most notorious human rights case in Mexico in recent years.

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Migrants seek new routes into Balkans after formal borders sealed

IDOMENI, Greece (Reuters) - After weeks stranded at a closed border in northern Greece, migrants and refugees are seeking out new, irregular routes to get into Macedonia, clambering through forests and over hills under the cover of darkness.

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Dutch journalist who criticized Erdogan detained in Turkey: official

ISTANBUL/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A prominent Dutch journalist has been detained by Turkish police, a Dutch official said on Sunday, a week after she wrote a column published in the Netherlands in which she criticized President Tayyip Erdogan for his clampdown on dissent.

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Britain's EU 'Remain' campaign needs ground troops, passion

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Campaigners to keep Britain in the European Union, boosted by a visit from U.S. President Barack Obama, seem to be winning the air war in the media, but they could yet lose the crucial ground war to bring out the vote.

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Saudi-led air strikes kill 10 al Qaeda fighters in Yemen

ADEN (Reuters) - A Saudi-led coalition carried out air strikes on the al Qaeda-held port of Mukalla in southern Yemen on Sunday, killing at least ten militants, medical sources and residents said, part of an offensive to recapture the city.

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Two rockets hit Turkish town near Syrian border: witness

KILIS, Turkey, (Reuters) - Two rockets hit the Turkish town of Kilis near the Syrian border on Sunday, wounding some people, a Reuters witness at the scene reported.

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Kurd-Shi'ite clashes in northern Iraq kill two: sources

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Clashes between Kurdish and Shi'ite Turkmen paramilitary forces broke out late on Saturday in northern Iraq, killing at least two fighters and cutting a strategic road between Baghdad and the oil city of Kirkuk, security sources said.

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Economy, crises in focus as Obama heads to Germany

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is set to visit Hanover, Germany on Sunday to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of his closest allies in dealing with a shaky global economy and security crises in the Middle East and Ukraine.

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Post-Brexit UK-U.S. trade deal could take a decade, Obama tells BBC

LONDON (Reuters) - A trade deal between Britain and the United States could take five to 10 years to negotiate if Britain votes to leave the European Union at a June 23 referendum, U.S. President Barack Obama told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

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Serbia's Vucic seeks mandate for EU talks, nationalists fight back

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is asking Serbian voters on Sunday for four more years in power to pursue European Union membership, but he may have to contend with a resurgent ultra-nationalist opposition demanding closer ties with Russia.

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At least 12 dead in two Baghdad car bomb attacks: sources

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 12 people were killed on Saturday in two separate car bomb attacks in Baghdad targeting security forces, police sources said, adding that the death toll could rise.

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Obama tells British youth: Don't pull back from the world

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama implored young British people on Saturday not to pull back from the world, a day after sparking a row by bluntly telling Britain it should remain in the European Union to preserve its remaining global clout.

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North Korea seen to fire submarine-launched ballistic missile: South Korea

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired what appeared to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on Saturday off its east coast, South Korea said, amid concerns that it might conduct a nuclear test or a missile launch ahead of a key ruling party meeting.

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Drone strike in Yemen kills two al Qaeda suspects

KUWAIT (Reuters) - An air strike from a drone killed two men south of the Yemeni city of Marib on Saturday suspected of belonging to al Qaeda, local residents said by phone.

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A year after Nepal quake, some united in grief; others climb again

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - For survivors and relatives of victims of a landslide that struck with the force of half an atom bomb it is a time to grieve. For witnesses to a fatal avalanche at the Mount Everest base camp, it is time to climb again.

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Suspected Islamist militants kill Bangladesh teacher: police

DHAKA (Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants brutally murdered a university professor on Saturday in northwestern Bangladesh, a police official told reporters, the latest in a spate of attacks on liberal activists.

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Brazil's Rousseff may appeal to Mercosur if impeached illegally

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff denounced her impeachment as a "coup" to an international audience on Friday, and said she would appeal to the Mercosur bloc of South American nations for Brazil to be suspended if democratic process is broken.

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U.S. to buy heavy water from Iran's nuclear program, delivery in weeks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will buy heavy water from Iran's nuclear program, and expects it to be delivered within weeks, U.S. officials said on Friday, a move that was quickly criticized by Republican lawmakers.

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Islamic State bomber kills nine at Baghdad mosque

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomb attack claimed by Islamic State killed at least nine people following Friday prayers at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in southwestern Baghdad, police and hospital sources said.

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Warplane crashes near Damascus, causes unclear: Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A warplane in Syria crashed southwest of Damascus on Friday, and it was not clear if it had been brought down by insurgent gunfire or suffered a technical fault, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

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Ecuadoreans in earthquake zone jostle for food, water

SAN JACINTO/COJIMIES, Ecuador (Reuters) - Survivors of an earthquake that killed 587 people and shattered Ecuador's coast clamored for food, water and medicine on Thursday as aid eluded remote parts of the disaster zone.

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China could build nuclear plants for South China Sea, paper says

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is getting closer to building maritime nuclear power platforms that could one day to used to support Chinese projects in the disputed South China Sea, a widely-read state-run newspaper said on Friday.

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Exclusive: Beijing auditions foreign agencies to polish China brand

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Five global public relations firms have made pitches to the Chinese government for a potential new campaign, four sources said, as Beijing tries to communicate more effectively with the West.

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White House concerned by Russia's military moves in Syria

GENEVA/QAMISHLI, Syria (Reuters) - The United States said on Thursday it was concerned about reports that Russia is moving more military equipment into Syria to bolster President Bashar al-Assad, with a truce in tatters and peace talks in meltdown.

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Obama arrives in London on mission to persuade UK voters to stay in EU

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in London on Thursday with a mission - to persuade British voters not to ditch membership of the European Union in a referendum that Washington fears could weaken the West.

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Exclusive: Egyptian police detained Italian student before his murder - sources

(Reuters) - An Italian student who was tortured and murdered in Egypt had been detained by police and then transferred to a compound run by Homeland Security the day he vanished, intelligence and police sources say. The claims contradict the official Egyptian account that security services had not arrested him.

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Obama starts talks with Gulf leaders aimed at easing strains

RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Gulf Arab leaders started talks in Riyadh on Thursday at a summit aimed at forging joint action on perceived security threats from Iran and Islamic State, and at ironing out strains in their old alliance.

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U.S. says China's intentions in South China Sea raise tension and questions

HANOI (Reuters) - A top U.S. official on Thursday said China's land reclamation and militarization in the disputed South China Sea was raising tensions and serious questions about its intention.

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Syrian peace talks in quagmire as rebels prepare for more war

GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's fragile peace talks might not resume for at least a year if they are abandoned now, a senior Western diplomat warned on Wednesday, as the opposition urged more military support for rebels after declaring a truce was over.

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At least 40 injured in blast at Mexico petrochemical facility

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - At least 40 people were injured on Wednesday in an explosion that rocked a major petrochemical facility of Mexican national oil company Pemex, according to state emergency services.

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Brazil's Rousseff going to U.N. over impeachment; cabinet in crisis

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Beleaguered Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will travel to New York in a bid to rally international support against her impeachment, leaving behind a Cabinet paralyzed by political crisis as another minister defected on Wednesday.

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Obama meets Saudi king with Iran on agenda

RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday to meet Saudi Arabia's King Salman ahead of a summit with other Gulf Arab leaders on Thursday and with regional tensions with Iran likely to be high on the agenda.

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Another quake, magnitude 6.2, strikes off Ecuador coast

COJIMIES, Ecuador (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck off the coast of Ecuador on Wednesday, just days after a major quake hit the country killing nearly 500 people.

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Aftershocks bring misery for Japan quake survivors; death toll to 47

TOKYO (Reuters) - Aftershocks rattled survivors of deadly Japanese earthquakes, nearly a week after the first one struck, as the area braced for heavy rain later on Wednesday and the possibility of more landslides.

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U.S. says North Korean remittances at risk if it conducts nuclear test

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A fifth North Korean nuclear test could trigger new sanctions including an effort to choke off hard currency earnings by its workers abroad, the top U.S. diplomat for the Asia-Pacific region said on Tuesday.

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Japan PM Abe unlikely to call snap election due to quakes: Sankei

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is unlikely to call a snap election after deadly earthquakes on southern Kyushu island and may postpone ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement until the next session of parliament, the Sankei newspaper reported Wednesday.

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Fidel Castro speaks of death in address to Cuba's Communist Party

HAVANA (Reuters) - Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro emerged from seclusion on Tuesday to muse about death and provide encouragement to his followers, in a rare speech at the closing of a Communist Party congress in Havana.

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Afghan Taliban kill at least 28 in major attack in central Kabul

KABUL (Reuters) - A Taliban suicide bomb and gun assault on a government security building during Tuesday morning rush hour in central Kabul killed at least 28 people and wounded more than 320, in the deadliest single attack in the Afghan capital since 2011.

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Brazil's Rouseff slams impeachment drive as 'sexist'

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff said on Tuesday she has been singled out for impeachment partly because she is a woman in a drive that is fueling hatred and intolerance in a nation increasingly divided by her possible ouster.

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Air strike on market kills around 40 in opposition-held northwest Syria

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Air strikes on a vegetable market in opposition-held northwest Syria killed around 40 people and wounded dozens on Tuesday, a rebel commander, rescue worker and war monitor said.

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Syrian talks' future bleak as fighting rages and both sides obdurate

GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Prospects for reviving Syrian peace talks were bleak on Tuesday with the opposition saying the postponement was indefinite with a truce over, and the government ruling out any negotiations about the presidency of Bashar al-Assad.

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Second blast hits Kabul following deadly suicide attack

KABUL (Reuters) - A large explosion was heard in central Kabul several hours after a suicide attack on a building of the national security agency killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds more in the Afghan capital earlier on Tuesday.

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Syrian government delegation joins Geneva talks under pressure to negotiate

GENEVA (Reuters) - The Syrian government delegation led by U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari arrived on Friday for their first session of the latest round of peace talks in Geneva, where they faced pressure to negotiate terms for a political transition.


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Macedonian president stands by wiretap pardons despite protests

SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov stood by his decision on Friday to pardon 56 officials in a wiretapping scandal despite days of street protests and mounting national and international calls on him to change his mind.


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Syrian rebel factions still back peace talks but warn over shaky truce

GENEVA (Reuters) - Rebel commanders in Syria said on Friday they still backed U.N.-mediated peace talks but accused the Damascus government of trying to shatter a ceasefire deal and urged world powers to judge whether it remained viable.


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OSCE warns of intensified fighting in Ukraine's separatist east

KIEV (Reuters) - Fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government troops has increased sharply in eastern Ukraine in defiance of calls to observe a year-old peace agreement, the head of an international monitoring mission said on Friday.











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Protesters demand fall of Egypt's government over islands deal

CAIRO (Reuters) - Thousands of Egyptian protesters angered by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision to hand over two islands to Saudi Arabia called on Friday for the downfall of the government, chanting a powerful slogan used in a 2011 uprising.











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South African banks accused of 'political stunt' in ditching Zuma friends

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling ANC Women's League and main trade union federation (Cosatu) have accused banks of pulling a "political stunt" by cutting ties with a company whose owners are under scrutiny for having undue influence with President Jacob Zuma.


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Aid groups urge halt of Turkey returns, Greek detentions under migration deal

ISTANBUL/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Deportations of refugees and migrants to Turkey and the detention of asylum-seekers on Greek islands must stop, three aid groups said on Friday, citing fears for human rights raised by an EU-Turkey deal to curb an influx of people into Europe.











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France vows crackdown after rolling protest clashes

PARIS (Reuters) - France's interior minister on Friday ordered a crackdown on violent fringe demonstrators after they smashed shopfronts and cars on the edge of a bigger youth protest rally held overnight against labor law reforms.


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EU preparing to deploy security mission in Libya, if requested: draft

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is signaling that it will consider moving security personnel into Libya to help stabilize the chaotic country if requested by a new U.N.-backed Libyan government, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters.


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Germany accepts Turkish request to seek prosecution of German comedian

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that Germany has accepted a request from Turkey to seek prosecution of a German comedian who read out a sexually crude poem about Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on German television.


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Taliban launch major push to retake northern Afghan city

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Hundreds of Taliban insurgents have launched an offensive to seize the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, which they captured and held for several days last year, provincial officials said on Friday.











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Kremlin says sorry to Goldman Sachs, German paper over Panama Papers slip-up

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Friday apologized to U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs and German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, saying aides had mistakenly informed President Vladimir Putin that the American bank owned the newspaper.











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New Taiwan appointments spotlight China ties, homegrown defense aims

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's independence-leaning government on Friday named a foreign affairs official and a former fighter pilot to the top posts for China policy and defense, underscoring its intention to engage with China and build its own jets and submarines.


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Crime serial beats French president off prime-time TV podium

PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande's efforts to win over French voters on prime-time TV on Thursday generated few newspaper headlines, criticism on social networks, and a million fewer viewers than a long-running crime serial on a rival channel.


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Merkel to comment on Turkey's request to prosecute German comedian at 1100 GMT

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will make a statement at 1100 GMT on Friday on Turkey's request to seek prosecution of a German comedian who read out a sexually crude poem about Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on German television, a spokesman said.


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Spanish minister resigns after alleged links to offshore deals

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's acting Industry Minister Jose Manuel Soria said on Friday he was resigning with immediate effect after alleged links to offshore dealings which emerged after he was named in the Panama Papers.


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Russian state news agency Sputnik says site blocked in Turkey

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The website of Russian state news agency Sputnik has been blocked in Turkey, its Turkish editor-in-chief said on Friday, a move that could further strain relations between Moscow and Ankara after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane last year.


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Iraqi PM Abadi warns political crisis could hamper war on Islamic State

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has warned that a political crisis engulfing his country over anti-graft reforms could hamper the war against Islamic State militants.


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Rome metro eternally delayed under reforming Renzi's feet

ROME (Reuters) - In power for two years, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has initiated many reforms aimed at invigorating the anemic economy, including his flagship overhaul of the constitution which was approved by parliament this week.


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Haiti will miss election deadline, no date for new president

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haiti will not meet a deadline to complete its presidential election by April 24, the top election official said on Thursday, without giving a new date to hold the already delayed vote in the impoverished Caribbean country.


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U.S. defense secretary to visit carrier in disputed South China Sea

MANILA (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he will visit a U.S. aircraft carrier transiting the disputed South China Sea on Friday, a move bound to anger China, which has been increasingly asserting its territorial claims.











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Saudi minister says donation to Malaysia's Najib was genuine: state media

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said that a $681 million deposit in Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's bank account was a donation originating from Saudi Arabia, Malaysian state media reported on Friday.


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China says enhanced U.S.-Philippine military ties invoke 'Cold War mentality'

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Plans to deepen U.S.-Philippine military ties, including joint patrols in the South China Sea, reflect a "Cold War mentality", China's defense ministry said, pledging to resolutely oppose any infringement on the country's sovereignty.


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Brazil top court denies injunction to alter impeachment vote order

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court upheld on Thursday the voting order fixed by the lower house of Congress for Sunday's impeachment vote, a setback for President Dilma Rousseff, who is struggling to muster votes to block an opposition bid to remove her from office.


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North Korea attempts to launch intermediate range missile but fails: Yonhap

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea attempted to launch an intermediate range ballistic missile off the country's east coast on Friday but the launch failed, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.











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Declassified U.S. document suggests Pakistani link to attack on CIA agents

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Pakistani intelligence officer paid $200,000 to an extremist network to facilitate a deadly suicide bomb attack on CIA operatives at a base in Afghanistan in 2009, according to a declassified U.S. government document obtained by an independent research group.


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Protesters clash with police in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - Protesters attacked shop windows and cash dispensers in the east of Paris on Thursday, a Paris police spokeswoman said.











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U.S. Vice President Biden, new Ukraine PM discuss reforms: White House

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke on Thursday to new Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, emphasizing the need to move quickly on reforms and implementing the Minsk ceasefire agreement with Russia, the White House said.


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Ivorian soccer star Drogba threatens legal action over attacks on his charity

DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Ivorian soccer star Didier Drogba said on Thursday he would take legal action over accusations that his charity set up to help children in Africa had spent less than one percent of money raised on worthwhile projects.


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Putin blasts Panama Papers 'provocation,' soothes crisis-hit Russians

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin on Thursday dismissed media reports that billions of dollars in Panama offshore accounts might be linked to him as a U.S.-backed "provocation", as he told ordinary Russians that the country's economic crisis will ease next year.











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In London, Obama to wade into thorny Brexit debate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will put himself in an unusual, and risky, position next week in London: smack-dab in the middle of the heated British debate over whether to remain part of the European Union.











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Obama to discuss counterterrorism with Saudi, other Gulf nations

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will talk next week with leaders in Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Gulf about recent agreements on counterterrorism and streamlining the transfer of defense capabilities to U.S. partners in the region, a White House official said on Thursday.


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Acting Irish PM fails to secure re-election for third time

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Acting Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny failed for the third time to be re-elected in a parliamentary vote on Thursday but made some progress towards breaking the political deadlock created by an inconclusive Feb. 26 election.











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Egyptian government warns against protests over Red Sea islands

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's interior ministry said on Thursday it would take legal action against people who participate in demonstrations called by activists to protest Egypt's unexpected decision to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.


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Air strikes hit Islamic State in Afghanistan under new rules: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has carried out 70 to 80 air strikes against Islamic State in Afghanistan in the three months since U.S. forces were given broader authority to target the militants, a U.S. military spokesman said on Thursday.


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Video of Chibok girls puts pressure on Nigeria's Buhari

LAGOS/ABUJA (Reuters) - A video showing 15 of the 219 schoolgirls held by the jihadist group Boko Haram has added pressure on the Nigerian government to secure their release, after activists accused authorities of mishandling the case in the two years since their mass kidnap.


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New Aleppo assault casts fresh cloud over Syria peace talks

BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - Syria's army backed by Russian warplanes launched an assault north of Aleppo on Thursday, threatening to block a vital rebel route into the city in fighting that has cast new clouds over Geneva peace talks.


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Case of crashed Russian plane referred to Egypt security prosecutor

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Public Prosecutor Ahmed Sadeq said on Thursday he had referred the case of the Russian airplane that crashed in Sinai last year to State Security prosecutors to look into suspicions that criminal activity brought it down.











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Opponents of Russian annexation persecuted in Crimea: Europe rights body

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe's leading human rights organization said on Thursday that Crimea's indigenous Muslim Tatars and other opponents of the region's annexation by Russia face persecution including police intimidation and brutality.


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Exclusive: Syrian opposition says will join with government in transitional body, but not with Assad himself

GENEVA (Reuters) - Syria's main opposition group is willing to share membership of a transitional governing body with current members of the government of President Bashar al-Assad, but not with Assad himself, the group's spokesman said in Geneva.











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Strong quake hits Japan, nuclear plants safe, dozens injured: media

TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 6 hit southern Japan on Thursday, bringing down some buildings and injuring dozens of people, local media reported, but the nuclear regulator reported no problems at power plants.











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China urges U.N. focus on militants using poison gas in Syria

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday urged U.N. Security Council members to back a draft resolution demanding states report when militants are developing chemical weapons in Syria.











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EU parliament approves deal on sharing air passenger data after militant attacks

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Parliament gave final approval on Thursday to an exchange of airline passenger data between security forces in the European Union, ending a stand-off between privacy advocates and those who consider the move crucial to fighting terrorism.


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Ukraine approves new PM in bid to end reform deadlock

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament approved presidential ally Volodymyr Groysman as prime minister on Thursday in the biggest political shakeup since a 2014 uprising brought in a pro-Western leadership.











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Merkel says still considering Turkish request to prosecute comedian

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday her government was still examining a request from Turkey to prosecute a German satirist who recited a sexually crude poem about Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on television.


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U.S. announces ramped-up military presence in Philippines

MANILA (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Thursday that U.S. troops and military equipment would be sent on regular rotations in the Philippines and that the two countries had started joint patrols in the South China Sea as China increasingly asserts its territorial claims.











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Putin says Turkey is unsafe for Russian holiday-makers

MOSCOW (Reuters) - There is effectively a civil war in the south of Turkey whose leadership is cooperating with radical groups instead of fighting them, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, sending a warning to Russian holiday-makers.


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Germany passes law on tougher pilot screening after Germanwings crash

BERLIN (Reuters) - A year after the Germanwings plane crash, Germany's lower house of parliament has passed a package of measures to tighten up reporting of pilot medical assessments and requiring tougher alcohol and drugs checks on pilots.











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China lambasts U.S. rights policies after State Department report

BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. rights policies have gone from bad to worse, China said on Thursday, in its annual rebuttal of a State Department report on human rights around the world that criticized China's "severe" crackdown on lawyers.











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Grim ratings greet France's Hollande before prime-time TV grilling

PARIS (Reuters) - A poll showing two thirds of left-leaning voters believe he should not seek a second term next year greeted Socialist President Francois Hollande on Thursday, as he prepared for a TV interview billed as crucial to his re-election chances.


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Iraqi parliament to vote on PM's new cabinet proposal, some MPs protest

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament will vote on Thursday on a cabinet reshuffle proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as part of an anti-corruption drive, the assembly's speaker said, a day after scuffles erupted among lawmakers debating the reform.











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Prominent Chinese rights lawyer says he is formally disbarred

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese legal authorities on Thursday formally disbarred a prominent rights lawyer who was handed a suspended sentence last year for writing Internet posts the government said incited ethnic hatred, ending his career.











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A royal encounter for Britain's William and Kate in Bhutan

THIMPHU (Reuters) - Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived on Thursday in the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, where they will meet its glamorous young royal couple for the first time.


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Turkey's main opposition party supports bid to strip MPs of immunity

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) will support draft legislation by the ruling party that would strip lawmakers of their immunity from prosecution, CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said on Wednesday night.











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Light plane crashes in Papua New Guinea, 12 dead: reports

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A light aircraft crashed while trying to land in Papua New Guinea's rugged Western province on Wednesday killing 12 people, Australian authorities and media said on Thursday.


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China to prosecute former graft buster for suspected corruption

BEIJING (Reuters) - A former senior Chinese provincial official overseeing graft busting efforts will himself be prosecuted for suspected corruption after an investigation found he took more than $200,000 in bribes and gifts, state media said on Thursday.











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North Korea seen moving intermediate range ballistic missiles: Yonhap

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has deployed one or two Musudan intermediate range ballistic missiles on the east coast, possibly preparing for launch around April 15, the birthday of the country's founder, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday.


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German coalition leaders agree new counter-terror plans: sources

BERLIN (Reuters) - The leaders of Germany's ruling coalition parties agreed at a meeting stretching into Thursday morning on a package of counter-terror measures, coalition sources said.











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Brazil's Rousseff pledges unity gov't as impeachment momentum grows

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff pledged on Wednesday to form a government of national unity if she survives an impeachment vote in Congress this weekend, but the odds of that lengthened as allies continued to desert her.











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Obama says Islamic State on the defensive

LANGLEY, Va. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq had put the militant group on the defensive, shrinking its territory and striking key leaders.


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South Korea ruling conservatives suffer upset defeat in parliamentary vote

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's ruling conservative party suffered an upset defeat in a parliamentary election on Wednesday, local media said early on Thursday based on election commission data, in a stinging blow to President Park Geun-hye.











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North Korea missile capabilities increasing: U.S. defense officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence believes North Korea's ability to reach the United States with an intercontinental ballistic missile is low, but its capabilities will increase, making continued investment in missile defense essential, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.


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U.N. chief was 'inept' on peacekeeper sex abuse: key U.S. senator

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Wednesday accused United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of ineptitude for failing to halt sexual exploitation and abuse by blue-helmeted peacekeepers.


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INTERVIEW: Citizen journalists in Syria ‘risking their lives' for news

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A series of short films, "Syria's Rebellious Women," by Zaina Erhaim tells the stories of women who stepped into positions of leadership and responsibility usually reserved for men.


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Turkey expects more Syrians to return from Greece under EU deal

VIENNA (Reuters) - Turkey has begun taking back Syrians from Greece under an agreement with the European Union aimed at stemming the flow of migrants into the continent, and it expects the number of Syrians returning to rise soon, it said on Wednesday.


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Macedonia protesters wreck one of president's offices

SKOPJE (Reuters) - Demonstrators protesting against Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov's decision to halt all prosecutions linked to a wire-tapping scandal wrecked one of his offices and scuffled with police in the capital Skopje on Wednesday.


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U.S. Senator Rubio wants to end some benefits for Cuban immigrants

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Marco Rubio called on Wednesday for a change in U.S. policy toward Cuban immigrants, seeking to stop providing refugee benefits to those coming from the island strictly for economic reasons.


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Parents say identify Chibok girls missing 2 years in Boko Haram video

ABUJA, Nigeria (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Three mothers of schoolgirls abducted from Chibok in northeast Nigeria two years ago said they had identified their daughters in a video released by Islamist group Boko Haram, the first possible sighting of the girls since a video in May 2014.


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Russia jets make 'simulated attack' passes near U.S. destroyer: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Russian warplanes with no visible weaponry flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, a U.S. official said, describing it as one of the most aggressive interactions in recent memory.











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Sudan concludes Darfur referendum amid opposition boycott

EL FASHER, Sudan (Reuters) - Darfuris concluded voting on Wednesday in a referendum on whether to reunite the states of their arid western region, amid a boycott by rebel groups that accuse the government of rigging the vote to keep Darfur divided.


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Earthquake hits Myanmar, no immediate reports of damage

YANGON (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck northwestern Myanmar on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, sending strong tremors through Myanmar, eastern India, Bangladesh and parts of Nepal.











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Russia pushes back 'Putin's bridge' to annexed Crimea by a year

TUZLA SPIT, Russia (Reuters) - Russia has pushed back the completion date of a showcase multi-billion dollar bridge to link the Russian mainland with annexed Crimea by one year, saying the original plan had to be adjusted to take account of the weight of the trains that will cross it.


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Macedonian police fire tear gas at migrants on Greek border

IDOMENI, Greece (Reuters) - Macedonian police fired tear gas on Wednesday to disperse around 50 migrants stranded in Greece who tried to pull down part of the razor wire fence separating the two countries, a Reuters witness said.











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In Libya, Islamic State struggles to gain support

WADI BEY, Libya (Reuters) - Packed into a battered car, a family of nine joined the steady flow of residents fleeing Islamic State's Libyan stronghold of Sirte. They were heading to a nearby town to pick up essentials: cash, medicine and food.


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Before defecting, North Korean waitresses shopped for backpacks

NINGBO, China (Reuters) - Two days before they sought asylum in South Korea, the North Korean waitresses in the Chinese coastal city of Ningbo shopped for backpacks at a nearby store and paid relatively expensive full prices.











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Iraq's parliament to meet over PM's cabinet plans amid protests

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament will hold an emergency session on Wednesday at the request of lawmakers who are protesting after plans by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to introduce a cabinet of technocrats to curb corruption were blocked.


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UK minister who knew press had sex worker story on him denies it influenced policy

LONDON (Reuters) - A British minister has denied that his decisions on press regulation were in any way influenced by the fact that he had found out that several newspapers had information about his past relationship with a sex worker.


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Hiroshima survivors look to Obama visit for disarmament, not apology

HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - Progress on ridding the world of nuclear weapons, not an apology, is what Hiroshima would want from a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to the Japanese city hit by an American nuclear attack 71 years ago, survivors and other residents said.











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Closures and court cases leave Turkey's media increasingly muzzled

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Metin Yilmaz, editor-in-chief of the Sozcu newspaper, one of the most outspoken critics of the government in the Turkish media, says he is weighing his words more carefully these days.


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Brussels air traffic disrupted as strike continues

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Air traffic into Brussels Airport, which reopened this month after a deadly bomb attack, was disrupted on Wednesday as a strike among air traffic controllers continued.











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Turkey shells targets in Syria after rocket fire hits border town: sources

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Rockets fired from Syria hit the Turkish town of Kilis on Wednesday, the local mayor told Reuters, prompting Turkey's army to retaliate and hit targets across the border.


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Iran president under scrutiny over juvenile executions

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The case presented by the Iranian judiciary was simple: In the southern province of Fars, Fatemeh Salbehi suffocated her husband after drugging him, a capital crime in the Islamic Republic.











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Taiwanese deported from Kenya 'suspected of fraud in China'

BEIJING (Reuters) - A group of Taiwanese deported from Kenya to China after being acquitted in a cyber crime case are wanted for suspected fraud in China, the Chinese government said on Wednesday, in a case that has enraged Taiwan which has accused Beijing of kidnap.


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Panama raids offices of Mossack Fonseca law firm

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama's attorney general late on Tuesday raided the offices of the Mossack Fonseca law firm to search for any evidence of illegal activities, authorities said in a statement.


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South Koreans vote for new parliament amid discontent over sluggish economy

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Koreans voted on Wednesday to elect a new parliament, with the ruling conservatives expected to regain a majority despite a sluggish economy and a four-year term considered one of the least productive ever.


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Brazil's Rousseff decries conspiracy as impeachment advances

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Tuesday her vice president was orchestrating a conspiracy to topple her, as efforts to impeach the leftist leader gained momentum in Congress.











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Palestinians say push for U.N. rebuke of Israel settlements aimed at peace

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A renewed Palestinian drive to persuade the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements is aimed at removing the biggest obstacle to peace and boosting French efforts to broker an agreement, the Palestinian U.N. envoy said on Tuesday.


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UK would face tough choices after a Brexit vote: think tank

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will need to make choices on trade, labor laws and the environment that could be unpopular with voters if it wants to offset the hit to its economy from any decision to leave the European Union, a think tank said on Wednesday.


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Brussels Airport disrupted by air traffic control dispute

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Three weeks after being struck by Islamic State suicide bombers, Brussels Airport was forced to close again briefly on Tuesday due to industrial action by Belgian air traffic controllers.


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Amnesty urges probe over allegation Nigerian army secretly buried Shi'ites

KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Claims by a Kaduna state official that Nigeria's military secretly buried 347 people after clashes with members of a minority Shi'ite Muslim sect should be investigated and anyone suspected of wrongdoing put on trial, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.











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Pakistan army chief accuses India of undermining China investment corridor

GWADAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's army chief on Tuesday accused longtime regional rival India of seeking to undermine his country's $46 billion project to build an economic corridor to transport goods from China's western regions through the Pakistani deepwater port of Gwadar.


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Rock Star Bono seeks U.S. Senate backing for Mideast 'Marshall Plan'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U2 lead singer Bono joined diplomats and aid experts on Tuesday to appeal for U.S. Senate support for a "Marshall Plan" to provide aid to the Middle East much like the massive relief the United States provided for Europe after World War Two.


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FARC rebels involved in drug trade despite peace talks: police

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's Marxist FARC rebels are still involved in drug trafficking and are stoking resistance to eradication of illicit crops, the head of the anti-narcotics police said on Tuesday, despite the group's ongoing peace talks with the government.











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Ukraine political squabbles delay formation of new government

KIEV (Reuters) - Squabbling over top jobs in Ukraine's government delayed a parliament vote on a cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday that is likely to see the departure of Finance Minister Natalia Yaresko and tighten President Petro Poroshenko's grip on key policy areas.











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Canada sounds alarm over aboriginal youth suicide epidemic

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Canada's parliament will meet in an emergency session on Tuesday night over a rash of suicide attempts by aboriginal teenagers in a remote, poverty-stricken community whose people feel isolated from the rest of the world.











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Turkey submits draft proposal to strip MPs of immunity: AKP officials

ANKARA (Reuters) - The Turkish government submitted a draft proposal to parliament on Tuesday that would strip lawmakers of immunity from prosecution, ruling AK Party officials said, a move seen as largely targeting a pro-Kurdish party.











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Zimbabwe's Mugabe says empowerment law confusing investors

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's black empowerment policy that aims to transfer majority shares from foreign-owned firms to locals is confusing potential investors and makes it hard to compete for foreign investment, President Robert Mugabe said on Tuesday.











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U.S. confident Brazil can meet political, economic challenges: White House

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Obama is optimistic about Brazil's ability to meet political and economic challenges in the wake of a recent International Monetary Fund assessment, the White House said on Tuesday.


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Few options for Italy as it pressures Egypt over murdered student

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's desire for justice over the killing of one of its students in Cairo is knocking up against the demands of realpolitik, with Rome unwilling to jeopardize commercial ties over the brutal murder.











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Iran, France concerned at Syria violence with talks set to resume

BEIRUT/PARIS/DUBAI (Reuters) - France and Iran voiced concern over escalating violence in Syria on Tuesday, echoing warnings from the United States and Russia as fighting near the city of Aleppo added to strains on a fragile truce agreement.


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NATO, Russia council to meet on April 20 in Brussels

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO envoys will hold their first formal meeting with Russia in almost two years on April 20, the Western alliance said on Tuesday, with the crisis in Ukraine, reducing military risks and Afghanistan on the agenda.


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Declassified: Secretive North Korea lifts veil on arms program

SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ahead of a rare ruling party Congress next month, secretive North Korea is revealing details of its weapons development program for the first time, showcasing its push to develop long-range nuclear missiles despite international sanctions.











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Turkey gives Merkel a headache with case against comedian

(Reuters) - Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan has filed a legal complaint against a German comedian who recited a sexually crude satirical poem about him on television, embarrassing Angela Merkel who has only just enlisted the president's help in tackling the migrant crisis.


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Five soldiers, 30 militants killed in southeast Turkey: security sources

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Five Turkish soldiers and 30 Kurdish militants have been killed in the past 24 hours in attacks and clashes across Turkey's turbulent southeast region, security sources and the army said on Tuesday.











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Taliban announce start of spring offensive in Afghanistan

KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban announced the start of their spring offensive on Tuesday, pledging to launch large-scale offensives against government strongholds backed by suicide and guerrilla attacks to drive Afghanistan's Western-backed government from power.











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Iraqi parliament postpones vote on new cabinet to Thursday, state TV says

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament postponed to Thursday a session to vote on a new cabinet proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi with the aim of fighting graft, state TV reported on Tuesday.


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Greece expects first asylum decisions under EU deal in two weeks

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece said authorities would start ruling on asylum applications from hundreds of migrants in the next two weeks, in a major test of a new deal to try and control the flow of people trying to reach Europe.











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India's Modi hosts British royals for musical lunch

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sat down to a musical lunch on Tuesday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as they continued a first tour of India that has featured a cricket game with slum kids and a glittering Bollywood gala.


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Bomb kills Palestinian official in Lebanon's Sidon: official

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A bomb in the southern Lebanon city of Sidon killed an official from the Palestinian Fatah movement on Tuesday, an official from the group said.











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Russia says one of its attack helicopters crashes in Syria

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopter crashed in Syria in the early hours of Tuesday morning killing both pilots, Russia's Defence Ministry said.











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Two further suspects charged in Brussels bombing case

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium has charged a further two men with terrorist offences over alleged links with the rental of a property thought to have been used as a safe house ahead of the Brussels attacks, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday.


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India, U.S. to soon agree shipping information deal: Carter

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India and the United States will "soon" conclude a commercial shipping information exchange agreement, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Tuesday in New Delhi after talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar.











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Suicide blast in Yemen's Aden kills four: sources

ADEN (Reuters) - A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden belt near a football stadium in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden on Tuesday, killing at least four people, witnesses and a security source said.











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Tough Philippine anti-crime mayor tops second poll in two days

MANILA (Reuters) - A tough crime-fighting mayor in the Philippine came out on top in an opinion poll for the second time in two days on Tuesday, less than a month before an election to find a successor to President Benigno Aquino.


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As Islamic State is pushed back in Iraq, worries about what's next

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As U.S.-led offensives drive back Islamic State in Iraq, concern is growing among U.S. and U.N. officials that efforts to stabilize liberated areas are lagging, creating conditions that could help the militants endure as an underground network.


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Syrian refugees in Lebanon at growing risk of forced labour: anti-slavery activists

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A growing number of children whose families have fled the Syrian war to Lebanon are being forced to work for little or no pay, many of them in dangerous conditions, anti slavery experts said on Tuesday.











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China expresses anger at G7 statement on East, South China Seas

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's expressed anger on Tuesday after foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies said they strongly opposed provocation in the East and South China Seas, where China is locked in territorial disputes.


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Brazil Congressional committee recommends impeaching President Rousseff

BRASILIA (Reuters) - An impeachment committee of Brazil's lower house of Congress voted 38-27 on Monday that there are grounds to impeach President Dilma Rousseff on charges of breaking budget laws to allegedly favor her re-election in 2014.











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Turkish leader files complaint against German comedian over TV poem

BERLIN (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has filed a complaint against a comedian who recited a satirical poem about him on German national television, German prosecutors said in a statement.


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Three injured in helicopter crash at Anglo mine in Chile

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Three people were hurt in central Chile on Monday when a helicopter sent to rescue an injured contractor near Anglo American's Los Bronces mine crashed into the Andes Mountains, the global mining company said in a statement.


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Aid agencies fear damage to reputation as 'Red Cross' appears in Panama Papers

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Some of the world's biggest aid agencies voiced concern on Monday that they may be further exposed to risk from the murky world of offshore finance after the latest release of the Panama Papers showed the name of the Red Cross was falsely used.











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Brazil's Temer urges unity government; impeachment ruling looms

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's vice president called for a government of national unity in a message that was released on Monday apparently by mistake, further muddying the waters of a political crisis just hours before a crucial decision in President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment case.











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Egyptians outraged at plan to transfer Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's announcement during a five-day visit by King Salman that it would transfer two Red Sea islands to its Saudi ally has outraged Egyptians, who took to social media to criticize the move, which now faces a legal challenge.


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Condemned to 'private prison': the Brazilian women subjected to secret abuse

RIO DE JANEIRO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When the teenager from Brazil's remote northeast began a new life in Rio de Janeiro ten years ago, she never imagined she would spend some of those years locked away in her own home.











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Biden urges 'unified, federal and democratic Iraq' to Abadi, Barzani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden made separate calls on Monday to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani to underscore the need for cooperation amid the country's political crisis, the White House said.


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Cubans embrace the English language as Cold War enmity fades

HAVANA (Reuters) - Gilberto Gonzalez learned Russian at a school in Havana at the height of the Cold War when the Soviet Union was Cuba's closest ally, but 30 years later he's rusty and remembers little more than, 'da,' and 'nyet.'


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Pirates kidnap six Turkish crew from ship off Nigeria's coast, navy says

LAGOS (Reuters) - Six Turkish members of a cargo ship's crew have been kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria, a spokesman for the Nigerian navy said on Monday.











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U.S. Navy officer charged with spying, possibly for China, Taiwan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy officer with access to sensitive U.S. intelligence faces espionage charges over accusations he passed state secrets, possibly to China and Taiwan, a U.S. official told Reuters on Sunday.


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U.S. urges Ukraine to quickly approve reform-minded cabinet

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States urged Ukraine's parliament on Monday to quickly approve a new cabinet that backed political and economic reforms, especially a loan program backed by the International Monetary Fund.


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Council of Europe raps Italy over difficulty in obtaining abortions

ROME (Reuters) - Women's rights are being violated in Italy by the serious difficulties they face in trying to obtain safe abortions due to many doctors refusing to carry out the procedure, the Council of Europe said on Monday.


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Syrian army sends reinforcements to Aleppo

BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army was on Monday reported to be sending reinforcements to Aleppo, where renewed fighting is threatening a fragile truce in the run-up to the next round of peace talks.











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Rockets from Syria hit Turkish border town, several wounded, media say

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Rockets from Syria have landed inside Turkey's southeastern border town of Kilis, injuring several people, security sources and privately owned Dogan News agency said on Monday.


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Editor in Panama Papers says published in the public interest

BERLIN (Reuters) - The editor of the German newspaper that broke the Panama Papers story said on Monday he did not know exactly where his team's source got the information but defended his decision to publish on the basis of the public interest.











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Boko Haram violence, climate change drive hunger in north Cameroon

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Harvesting a crop in Cameroon's Far North Region is becoming an increasingly uncertain proposition.


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Turkish cabinet meets in strife-torn southeast as fighting rages

SANLIURFA, Turkey (Reuters) - Fighting raged on Monday between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey as the cabinet held an unprecedented meeting on the edge of the restive region to discuss ways of rebuilding its shattered economy.











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Spain's industry minister denies links to Panama Papers firm

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's industry minister, Jose Manuel Soria, on Monday denied his involvement in an offshore company revealed by the Panama Papers, after two Spanish news outlets said they had documents proving he headed the offshore firm with his brother.


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Elections watchdog seeks to clarify Brexit vote spending rules for businesses

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's electoral watchdog has issued fresh guidance for businesses on how to ensure they do not fall foul of campaign spending rules in the run-up to a June 23 referendum on membership of the European Union.


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Afghan opposition groups angry at Kerry comments on deadline

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan opposition politicians reacted with anger to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's weekend declaration that the 2014 deal setting up President Ashraf Ghani's national unity government would allow it to serve a full five-year term.











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Islamic State regains Syrian stronghold near Turkey border: monitor

AMMAN (Reuters) - Islamic State militants took back a stronghold in Syria near the border with Turkey on Monday, four days after losing it to a grouping of rebels, a monitoring group said.











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UNHCR condemns use of tear gas against refugees at Macedonia-Greece border

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR condemned on Monday the use of tear gas by Macedonian police against refugees on the border with Greece and said such action damaged Europe's image.











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Thai opposition leader says military-drafted charter should be rejected

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai opposition leader warned the ruling junta on Monday that his followers would reject in an August vote a military-drafted constitution, which critics say would enshrine the generals' domination of politics.


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Red Cross, aid groups say will resist tougher Austrian asylum bill

VIENNA (Reuters) - Aid groups, including the Red Cross, said on Monday they would resist plans by the Austrian government to toughen its asylum process, shifting decision-making to centers near its borders.


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Iran says Russia delivers first part of S-300 defence system

DUBAI (Reuters) - Russia has delivered the first part of an advanced missile defence system to Iran, Iranian media reported on Monday, starting to equip Tehran with technology that was blocked before it signed a deal with world powers on its nuclear programme.


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Bomb kills two education ministry workers in Afghan capital

KABUL (Reuters) - Two people were killed and seven wounded when a mini-bus carrying workers from Afghanistan's Ministry of Education was hit by a bomb blast in the capital on Monday, the ministry said.


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Taiwan accuses China of kidnapping eight of its nationals from Kenya

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan on Monday accused China, which regards the self-ruled island as a breakaway province, of kidnapping eight of its nationals who it said had been acquitted in a cybercrime case in Kenya.


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Bombers carry out explosions in Russia's Stavropol region: agencies

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three suicide bombers carried out explosions in a village in Russia's Stavropol region, close to the North Caucasus, Interfax news agency quoted a police source as saying on Monday.











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Poland's Kaczynski blames Tusk's government for president's jet crash

WARSAW (Reuters) - Responsibility for the 2010 plane crash that killed Poland's president Lech Kaczynski along with 95 other people lay with the then government of Donald Tusk, the late president's twin brother and leader of the current ruling party said on Sunday at an event to commemorate the disaster.











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South Korea reveals defection last year of two North Korea officials

SEOUL (Reuters) - Two senior North Korean officials, including an army colonel specializing in espionage against the South, defected to South Korea last year, the Seoul government said on Monday.


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U.N. envoy welcomes Yemen truce, says difficult compromises needed

UNITED NATIONS/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Nations special envoy for Yemen welcomed the start of a tentative truce in the country's year-old conflict on Monday and said peace talks due to start later this month would require difficult compromises for all sides.


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Singapore PM rejects sister's accusation of forming a 'dynasty'

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was accused by his younger sister of abusing his power and of forming a political dynasty, just one year after the death of their father Lee Kuan Yew, in a rare public spat.











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Kerry joins other G7 foreign ministers at Hiroshima A-bomb museum

HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - John Kerry on Monday became the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Hiroshima's atomic bomb museum commemorating victims of the 1945 U.S. nuclear attack, highlighting a possible historic visit by President Barack Obama next month.


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Canada aboriginal community declares suicide crisis emergency: media

TORONTO (Reuters) - A Canadian aboriginal community of 2,000 people has declared a state of emergency after 11 of its members tried to take their own lives on Saturday night, national media reported.


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UK's Cameron urged to submit to lawmakers' questions on Brexit

LONDON (Reuters) - A senior British lawmaker said on Monday that Prime Minister David Cameron should appear before a parliamentary committee to answer questions about the European Union ahead of a June 23 referendum on whether Britain should remain in the bloc.


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Hit by Panama row, UK's Cameron announces new tax evasion law in 2016

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron will say on Monday that new legislation making companies criminally liable if employees aid tax evasion will be introduced this year, as he seeks to repair the damage from a week of questions about his personal finances.











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Clashes ahead of Yemen truce and peace talks

CAIRO (Reuters) - Pockets of deadly fighting broke out in Yemen on Sunday hours before a truce was due to start to facilitate peace talks aimed at ending the year-long conflict that has drawn in regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran.


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Ukrainian PM Yatseniuk resigns, paving way for new government

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk tendered his resignation on Sunday, paving the way for Western-backed coalition parties to nominate an ally of President Petro Poroshenko to try to form a more stable government.











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Madagascar president names new PM after resignation confusion

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar's president has appointed the interior minister as the new prime minister, an official in the president's office said, two days after a confused announcement over the resignation of the previous premier.


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Austrian interior minister to leave government, party confirms

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner is leaving the government and swapping jobs with the deputy governor of her home province, Lower Austria, Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner said on Sunday.


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Malta's opposition demands resignation of PM over Panama Papers

VALLETTA (Reuters) - Several thousand people filled a big square in Malta's capital on Sunday and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat after the leaked Panama Papers said two of his political allies had offshore accounts.











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Former Saddam aide seeks to reshape Sunni insurgency

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A rallying cry to Iraqi Sunnis from former President Saddam Hussein's top surviving aide aims to bolster the old ruling Baath party's appeal with Sunni Muslims fearing new reprisals by Shi'ite militias, experts said.


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Beirut airport workers held over terrorist contacts

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese authorities have detained two Lebanese employees of a Beirut airport service company over contacts with "terrorist parties", security sources said on Sunday. The sources gave no further details as the suspects were still being questioned.


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Italy's ruling party slips in poll after influence-peddling scandal

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's party has slipped in voters' estimation in recent weeks since a minister quit in connection with an influence-peddling probe, a poll indicated on Sunday.


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South Africa's Mantashe says ruling ANC losing supporters' confidence

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling African National Congress has lost some supporters' confidence and could totally lose them if it does not deal with discontent with President Jacob Zuma, an ANC official said on Sunday.


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German justice minister appeals to press to hand over Panama Papers

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Justice Minister Heiko Maas appealed in a newspaper interview to media to hand over the Panama Papers that show how offshore firms are used to stash the wealth of the world's elite.











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Strong earthquake shakes buildings across South Asia

KABUL (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck South Asia on Sunday, shaking buildings in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, witnesses and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, although there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.











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Syrian PM says Russia to back new Aleppo attack; opposition says truce near collapse

BEIRUT/MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian air force and Syrian military are preparing a joint operation to take Aleppo from rebels, the Syrian prime minister was quoted saying on Sunday, and an opposition official said a ceasefire was on the verge of collapse.











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G7 foreign ministers gather in Hiroshima to discuss nuclear, maritime issues

HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - In a city obliterated by a U.S. atom bomb more than 70 years ago, Japan kicked off a gathering of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies with a call to end nuclear weapons.


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Brussels bombers had planned to hit France again: prosecutors

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The militant cell behind bombings in Brussels had been plotting to hit France again after carrying out the Paris attacks but was forced to strike closer to home as police closed in, Belgian prosecutors said on Sunday.











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Nations seek rapid ratification of Paris climate deal, four-year lock

OSLO (Reuters) - Many nations are pushing for swift ratification of a Paris agreement to slow climate change and lock it in place for four years before a change in the White House next year that might bring a weakening of Washington's long-term commitment.


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Macedonian police use teargas on migrants at Greek border

ATHENS (Reuters) - Macedonian police used teargas to push back hundreds of migrants from a border fence on Sunday at a sprawling refugee camp on the Greek border, a Reuters witness said.


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Daughter of ex-strongman Fujimori favored in Peru presidential vote

LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvians are expected to favor Keiko Fujimori in the first round of a presidential election on Sunday, although critical voters who have not forgiven the authoritarian rule of her father are likely to ensure a June run-off.


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Voting begins in Chad's presidential election

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Voting began on Sunday in a presidential election in Chad in which incumbent Idriss Deby is favorite to win a fifth term and extend a tenure that began in 1990.


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German politicians urge UK's Cameron to do more in fight against tax evasion

BERLIN (Reuters) - German politicians have called on British Prime Minister David Cameron to do more in tackling the use of offshore companies set up in British overseas territories to evade taxes.


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Philippine troops clash with Muslim rebels; 23 killed, 73 hurt

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine soldiers battled a group of about 120 Muslim rebels linked to Islamic State in a ten-hour assault on a southern island that killed 23 people, an army spokesman said on Sunday.


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Indian temple fire kills over 60, more than 200 injured: TV

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A huge fire swept through a temple in southern India early on Sunday, killing more than 60 people and injuring 200 gathered for a fireworks display to mark the start of the Hindu new year.











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German spy chief says Islamic State wants to attack but no firm plan known

BERLIN (Reuters) - Islamic State wants to carry out attacks in Germany and the security situation is "very serious", the head of the country's domestic intelligence agency (BfV) told a Sunday newspaper, adding that he knew of no concrete plot to strike.


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Support for Rousseff's impeachment ebbs in Brazil poll

BRASILIA (Reuters) - A smaller majority of Brazilians favor the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff compared to last month, while more than half want her immediate successor to be impeached too, according to a survey released on Saturday by polling firm Datafolha.


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Egypt, Saudi Arabia sign 60 billion Saudi riyal investment fund pact

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement late on Saturday to set up a 60 billion Saudi riyal investment fund among other investment agreements including an economic free-zone to develop Egypt's Sinai region, Egyptian state television reported.











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Three killed in suspected rebel attack ahead of Peru election

LIMA (Reuters) - Three people were killed and six injured in an attack staged by suspected leftist Shining Path rebels on the eve of Peru's presidential election, authorities said.











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UK PM releases tax records after 'Panama Papers' storm

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron published his tax records on Sunday in an attempt to draw a line under questions about his personal finances raised by the mention of his late father in the Panama Papers for setting up an offshore fund.


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Bus crash in Peru kills at least 23

LIMA (Reuters) - At least 23 people were killed and more than 30 injured in Peru when a bus in which they were traveling plunged over a ravine into a river below, authorities said on Saturday.


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Ex-Argentine President Fernandez charged with money laundering: media

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Cristina Fernandez, who stepped down as president of Argentina in December after eight years in office, has been charged by a prosecutor with money laundering, local media reported on Saturday.











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Egypt says Italy spat centers on refusal to share phone records in Regeni probe

CAIRO (Reuters) - Tension between Egypt and Italy stems from Cairo's refusal to hand over extensive phone records as part of an investigation into the killing of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, a senior Egyptian prosecutor said on Saturday.


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Explosions hit Afghan capital Kabul after Kerry visit

KABUL (Reuters) - At least two explosions hit the diplomatic zone of Kabul on Saturday, shortly after visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry left following meetings with Afghan officials including President Ashraf Ghani.











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Spain police find hidden weapons cache, Islamic State flag

MADRID (Reuters) - Police said on Saturday they had discovered a hidden weapons cache and a home-made Islamic State flag in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco, and are investigating a possible connection to Islamist militants.











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Turkey police explode bag in Istanbul square after U.S. warns about threats

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police carried out a controlled explosion of a bag left in Istanbul's popular Taksim square on Saturday, a Reuters witness at the scene said, hours after the U.S. embassy warned of "credible threats" to tourist areas.











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Russian envoy sees no breakthrough in chilly NATO ties

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian relations with former Cold War adversary NATO will not improve for as long as the alliance continues a "containment policy" toward Moscow, Russia's NATO envoy was quoted as saying on Saturday.


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Pakistani government claims 34 Baluch rebels killed in raids

QUETTA, Baluchistan (Reuters) - Pakistani paramilitary troops have killed at least 34 suspected Baluch rebels during a three day operation in the violence wracked southwestern province of Baluchistan, the government said on Saturday.


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Sixth person arrested in Brussels bombing probe: Belgian minister

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian authorities arrested a sixth person late on Friday in connection with the suicide attacks in Brussels which killed 32 victims on March 22, Belgium's justice minister said.


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U.S. deploys B-52 bombers to Qatar for fight against Islamic State

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force deployed B-52 bombers to Qatar on Saturday to join the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the first time they have been based in the Middle East since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.











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Britain's Cameron says he mishandled Panama Papers tax scrutiny

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Saturday he should have handled scrutiny of his family's tax arrangements better, seeking to reassert his leadership after days of negative media coverage and calls for his resignation.


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Car bomb kills three, wounds five in Somali capital: police

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car bomb outside a restaurant in the Somali capital killed three people and wounded five on Saturday, an official said.











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Pope Francis to visit Azerbaijan and Georgia in the autumn

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis will visit Azerbaijan and Georgia in the autumn, the Vatican said on Saturday, one day after combatants in the region agreed to cease fighting that has killed dozens in the past week.


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Kerry makes unannounced visit to Afghanistan to support unity government

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Saturday and planned to stress U.S. support for the national unity government led by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the State Department said.


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Lebanon to decide 'soon' on fate of Australian film crew

(Reuters) - Lebanese authorities are expected to decide soon on whether a four-member Australian film crew will face charges in connection with a plot to kidnap two children in a child-custody dispute, Australia's foreign minister said on Saturday.











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Afghan lawmakers confirm key government posts amid infighting

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan lawmakers approved government nominees as interior minister and attorney general on Saturday, offering a boost to a struggling administration that has been undermined by infighting since it was formed following a disputed election in 2014.


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Archbishop of Canterbury learns his father was Churchill's secretary

LONDON (Reuters) - The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has discovered his biological father was the former private secretary to Britain’s war-time leader Winston Churchill, he said in a statement on Friday.


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North Korea says leader Kim supervises engine test for ICBM: KCNA

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a successful test of a new type of engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), its state media said on Saturday in the latest claim of making advances in its arms program that brought international sanctions.


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Belgians seize key suspects in Paris, Brussels attacks

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Mohamed Abrini, wanted for November's Islamic State attacks in Paris, was among five people arrested in Brussels on Friday, Belgian prosecutors said, adding that he was also involved tied to last month's Brussels bombings.











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Italy recalls ambassador from Egypt in row over student's murder

ROME (Reuters) - Italy recalled its ambassador to Egypt for consultations on Friday after Egyptian investigators in Rome failed to provide evidence needed to solve the mystery of the murder of an Italian student in Cairo.


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Panama president, France's Hollande speak post leak, table finmin meet

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama said on Friday President Juan Carlos Varela had spoken with his French counterpart Francois Hollande following a diplomatic standoff over a mass data leak, and had agreed their finance ministers should meet to discuss cooperation.


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