WORLD HEADLINES
By David Alire Garcia PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (Reuters) – Hurricane Patricia, one of the strongest storms ever recorded, crashed into western Mexico with rain and winds of up to 165 mph (266 kph), hammering coastal areas but causing less damage than had been feared as it skirted cities and major tourist resorts. Mowing down trees, flooding streets and battering buildings, Patricia plowed into Mexico as a Category 5 hurricane on
By Tsvetelia Tsolova and Maja Zuvela SOFIA/RIGONCE, Slovenia (Reuters) – European leaders traded threats and reprimands on Saturday as thousands more migrants and refugees streamed into the Balkans on the eve of European Union talks aimed at agreeing on urgent action to tackle the crisis. Concern is growing about hundreds of thousands of migrants arriving in Europe, many from war zones in the Middle East, and camping in western Balkan
By Tsvetelia Tsolova and Maja Zuvela SOFIA/RIGONCE, Slovenia (Reuters) – European leaders traded threats and reprimands on Saturday as thousands more migrants and refugees streamed into the Balkans on the eve of European Union talks aimed at agreeing on urgent action to tackle the crisis. Concern is growing about hundreds of thousands of migrants arriving in Europe, many from war zones in the Middle East, and camping in western Balkan
By Andrew Osborn and Maria Kiselyova MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin wanted Syria to prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections, as Moscow intensified its drive to convert its increased clout with Damascus into a political settlement. In comments which mark a shift in Russia’s position, he also said that Russia’s airforce, which has been bombing Islamist militants in Syria since Sept. 30, would be
By Andrew Osborn and Maria Kiselyova MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin wanted Syria to prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections, as Moscow intensified its drive to convert its increased clout with Damascus into a political settlement. In comments which mark a shift in Russia’s position, he also said that Russia’s airforce, which has been bombing Islamist militants in Syria since Sept. 30, would be
By Greg Torode HONG KONG (Reuters) – U.S. plans to send warships or military aircraft within 12 nautical miles of China’s artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, possibly within days, could open a tense new front in Sino-U.S. rivalry. A range of security experts said Washington’s so-called freedom of navigation patrols would have to be regular to be effective, given Chinese ambitions to project power deep into maritime
By Greg Torode HONG KONG (Reuters) – U.S. plans to send warships or military aircraft within 12 nautical miles of China’s artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, possibly within days, could open a tense new front in Sino-U.S. rivalry. A range of security experts said Washington’s so-called freedom of navigation patrols would have to be regular to be effective, given Chinese ambitions to project power deep into maritime
By Luke Baker and Arshad Mohammed JERUSALEM/VIENNA (Reuters) – Flare-ups in violence between Israel and the Palestinians have often accelerated peace efforts – the first intifada led into the Oslo accords of the mid-1990s and the second gave rise to the Arab and Geneva peace initiatives. After three weeks in which Palestinians have stabbed or shot dead nine Israelis, and Israeli security forces have killed 50 Palestinians – half of
By Tom Miles and Jan Lopatka GENEVA/PRAGUE (Reuters) – U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein accused the Czech Republic on Thursday of committing systematic human rights violations by detaining refugees for up to 90 days, strip-searching them for money to pay for their own detention. Human rights violations appeared to be “an integral part” of a Czech government policy designed to deter migrants and refugees from entering the country
By Johan Ahlander and Marja Novak STOCKHOLM/LJUBLJANA (Reuters) – Sweden said on Thursday it expected up to 190,000 migrants this year, putting unprecedented strain on a country famous for welcoming refugees but planning to house many in tents this winter. On the opposite pole of the angry debate on the migration crisis, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged European leaders to change their immigration policies and consult voters, saying they
