By Matt Spetalnick and Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) – Success at multilateral talks on Syria, which bring regional rivals Iran and Saudia Arabia face-to-face, might be measured by just keeping participants at the conference table, diplomats said on Thursday, playing down expectations of any breakthrough. More than a dozen powers were heading to Vienna for a fresh effort on Thursday and Friday to end Syria’s four-year civil war in which
A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier scrambled four F-18 jets on Tuesday after two Russian anti-submarine aircraft flew within a nautical mile of the warship, a Navy official said on Thursday. A U.S. Navy official said two Russian TU-142 “Bear” aircraft flew within a nautical mile of the Reagan, prompting it to launch four F-18 fighter jets to escort the planes away from the ship. The Navy official, speaking on condition
Air strikes in northern Syria have hit at least 12 hospitals in recent weeks, killing at least 35 patients and medical staff in a new escalation of fighting, international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Thursday. The violence has also caused the displacement of thousands of civilians since the end of September, MSF said, reporting a significant increase strikes on medical facilities. The charity did not specify which country
By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli security forces shot dead two Palestinian assailants in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, police and the army said, as a month-long spate of stabbing attacks showed no signs of abating. The latest assaults, like other recent stabbings, took place in Hebron, a city in the West Bank, signaling that violence was shifting to that territory from Israel and Jerusalem, where police have
By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) – More than 60 members of Iraq’s ruling coalition will seek to withdraw parliamentary support for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s reforms if he does not respond within 72 hours to their demands for wider consultation, parliamentarians said. Growing political tensions could undermine efforts to tackle an economic crisis and form a united front in the war against Islamic State militants, who pose the biggest security
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are slightly lower in midday trading after the U.S. government said economic growth slowed more than expected in the summer.
By Clement Uwiringiyimana KIGALI (Reuters) – Rwanda’s lower house of parliament voted on Thursday to allow President Paul Kagame to extend his rule beyond a second term that ends in 2017 and possibly stay on until 2034, a move opposed by the United States and other donors. Draft amendments to the constitution approved by the lower house still have to be backed by the upper house of senators and also
Vienna (AFP) – Many attempts have been made to resolve the conflict in Syria, and yet another is getting underway in Vienna.
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri is delivering on his promise to treat his players to pizzas after an early season incentive. The Italian had vowed to treat the high-flying Premier League squad to pizzas if they kept a clean sheet. True to his word, Ranieri is footing the bill at a city centre restaurant on Thursday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Splintered House Republicans elected Rep. Paul Ryan to be the chamber’s 54th speaker on Thursday, turning to the youthful but battle-tested Wisconsin lawmaker to mend the party’s self-inflicted wounds and craft a conservative message to woo voters in next year’s elections.
