WORLD HEADLINES
By Lesley Wroughton and Mohammed Ghobari RIYADH/CAIRO (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia offered a five-day humanitarian truce on Thursday to the Houthi militia it has hit with weeks of air strikes in neighboring Yemen, on condition that fighting across Yemen stops. International concern about Yemen’s dire humanitarian situation has grown as fighting, air strikes and an arms embargo have led to civilian deaths, internal displacement, destruction of infrastructure and shortages of
Final opinion polls showed Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives and Ed Miliband’s opposition Labour Party almost in a dead heat, indicating neither will win enough seats for an outright majority in the 650-seat parliament. “This race is going to be the closest we have ever seen,” Miliband told supporters in Pendle, northern England, on the eve of the vote. “It is going to go down to the wire.” Cameron said
Germany has halted its Internet surveillance for the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) in response to a row over the BND intelligence agency’s cooperation with Washington, German media reported on Thursday. Allegations that the BND has helped the NSA spy on European officials and firms has put strains on Angela Merkel’s governing coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and could damage U.S. relations and even the conservative chancellor’s own popularity.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House said on Thursday that President Barack Obama looks forward to working with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his new governing coalition. “As President Obama has emphasized, the U.S. places great importance on our close military, intelligence and security cooperation with Israel,” the White House National Security Council said on Twitter. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Bill Trott)
The body of an Iraqi journalist critical of the government has been found at his home in Baghdad with a single bullet wound to the chest after he received threats, relatives, acquaintances and police said on Thursday. “He paid the price of being a journalist in Iraq,” said Jubbouri’s brother Ahmed. The head of the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory and a person who knew Jubbouri said the presenter had been threatened
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say that after months of delays and vetting, the training of Syrian rebels has started in Jordan as part of a broader effort to build a force capable of fighting Islamic State extremists.
TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese zoo has apologized after being criticized for naming a baby monkey Charlotte, the name of the newborn British princess.
GRANOLLERS, Spain (AP) — Williams driver Valtteri Bottas has dismissed speculation linking him with a move to Ferrari, although he remains uncertain where he will be driving next season.
BERLIN (AP) — Millions of Germans experienced the fall of Nazi Germany 70 years ago Friday as total defeat. Today, most Germans view it as liberation from 12 years of tyranny.
By Tim Hepher PARIS (Reuters) – The Germanwings co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing a jet in the French Alps rehearsed the fatal maneuver on the morning of the disaster, and had twice been refused medical papers needed to fly, investigators said on Wednesday. The French BEA accident investigation agency said the co-pilot had five times set the autopilot to take the Airbus down to just 100 feet while the captain
