By Tom Perry and Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) – Rebel fighters captured a major base from the Syrian army in the south of the country on Tuesday, rebels and a monitoring group said, a setback for President Bashar al-Assad reflecting the mounting pressure on him after recent losses elsewhere. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that monitors the war, said a nearby town and a village had
By Tom Perry and Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) – Rebel fighters captured a major base from the Syrian army in the south of the country on Tuesday, rebels and a monitoring group said, a setback for President Bashar al-Assad reflecting the mounting pressure on him after recent losses elsewhere. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that monitors the war, said a nearby town and a village had
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon voiced concern on Tuesday that Washington’s supply of advanced arms to Gulf Arab states to deter Iran could eventually challenge Israel’s U.S.-backed regional military supremacy. Setting the stage for talks later in the day with General Martin Dempsey, the head of the U.S. armed forces, Yaalon spoke at a security conference of a need to maintain Israel’s “qualitative edge” as it seeks increased defense grants from
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon voiced concern on Tuesday that Washington’s supply of advanced arms to Gulf Arab states to deter Iran could eventually challenge Israel’s U.S.-backed regional military supremacy. Setting the stage for talks later in the day with General Martin Dempsey, the head of the U.S. armed forces, Yaalon spoke at a security conference of a need to maintain Israel’s “qualitative edge” as it seeks increased defense grants from
By Orhan Coskun and Ercan Gurses ANKARA (Reuters) – Whether it teams up with the nationalist or secularist opposition, Turkey’s ruling AK Party must navigate the same obstacle in its search for a junior coalition partner: the ambition of President Tayyip Erdogan. Opposition leaders who could now enter government in a coalition have made clear they will not tolerate his meddling, suggesting the days of him hosting cabinet meetings in
By Orhan Coskun and Ercan Gurses ANKARA (Reuters) – Whether it teams up with the nationalist or secularist opposition, Turkey’s ruling AK Party must navigate the same obstacle in its search for a junior coalition partner: the ambition of President Tayyip Erdogan. Opposition leaders who could now enter government in a coalition have made clear they will not tolerate his meddling, suggesting the days of him hosting cabinet meetings in
Libya’s warring factions have reacted positively to a draft peace agreement, the UN envoy said Tuesday, as they head for talks in Berlin with world powers anxious for an end to the conflict. Libya descended into chaos after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with heavily armed former rebels carving out fiefdoms across the country. Bernardino Leon, chief of the United Nations Support Mission in
Libya’s warring factions have reacted positively to a draft peace agreement, the UN envoy said Tuesday, as they head for talks in Berlin with world powers anxious for an end to the conflict. Libya descended into chaos after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with heavily armed former rebels carving out fiefdoms across the country. Bernardino Leon, chief of the United Nations Support Mission in
Scandal-hit bank HSBC said Tuesday it would cut its global headcount by up to 50,000 as part of a restructuring that entails its withdrawal from Brazil and Turkey, while it also mulls abandoning London as its HQ. “HSBC is now undertaking a significant reshaping of its business portfolio,” said the bank, which this year marks its 150th anniversary. HSBC said there would be a 10 percent reduction in jobs, with
Hastert is due to be arraigned in federal court in Chicago on Tuesday on charges of trying to hide large cash transactions and lying to the FBI about it. According to an indictment, Hastert, 73, was trying to evade detection of $3.5 million in payments he had promised to make to someone from his hometown of Yorkville, Illinois, to conceal past misconduct against the person. Law enforcement officials have said