By Mohammed Ghobari and Lara Sukhtian SANAA/GENEVA, (Reuters) – Houthi fighters in central Yemen blew up the home of a senior politician on Wednesday while he was in Switzerland as a member of the exiled government’s delegation to peace talks, residents said. In Geneva, the U.N.-sponsored talks between the warring factions went into a second day. Yemeni websites published picture of its collapsed ceiling on top of a pile of
By Mohammed Mukhashaf ADEN (Reuters) – Al Qaeda militants in Yemen killed two alleged Saudi spies on Wednesday, residents said, accusing them of planting tracking devices which enabled the assassination of the group’s leader in a suspected U.S. drone strike last week. Residents said al Qaeda charged the men with planting chips which pinpointed the location of several al Qaeda commanders slain in recent months, including its boss Nasser al-Wuhayshi,
By James Pomfret and Yimou Lee HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s pro-democracy lawmakers appeared to be standing firm on Wednesday in their pledge to veto Beijing-backed electoral reforms, as the Asian financial center’s legislature debated the package that will define its democratic future. The former British colony has reinforced security after mass protests crippled parts of the city late last year, presenting China’s ruling Communist Party with one of
By Gabriela Baczynska MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia accused NATO on Wednesday of reviving the ghost of the Cold War by encroaching close to its borders and seeking to change the strategic balance of power, as Germany denounced Moscow’s nuclear weapons build-up as a Soviet-style reflex. Ties between Russia and the West have hit new lows over Ukraine and the latest accusations come after Moscow said it would enhance its nuclear
By Luke Baker and Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) – With a deal on Iran’s nuclear program drawing near, Israel is beginning to look at what comes afterwards and how best to position itself for the longer term. Publicly, Israeli officials have not given up trying to influence what appear to be the closing stages of negotiations, although gaps could persist beyond an end-June deadline. Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, Prime Minister
The United States called for a “greater commitment” from Iraq’s government on Wednesday in the fight against Islamic State as it lamented Baghdad’s failure to deliver enough soldiers for training and underscored the need to empower Sunni tribesmen. “As I’ve told Iraqi leaders, while the United States is open to supporting Iraq more than we already are, we must see a greater commitment from all parts of the Iraqi government,”
The Palestinian unity government resigned on Wednesday in a deepening rift with Gaza as the blockaded territory’s de facto rulers Hamas held separate, indirect talks with Israel. An aide to president Mahmud Abbas said prime minister Rami Hamdallah “handed his resignation to Abbas”, but confusion reigned over when the government was likely to dissolve. It was also unclear what the next cabinet might look like, reflecting the chaotic period for
CAIRO (AP) — The Associated Press has named award-winning photographer Muhammed Muheisen, frequently honored for his striking photos of people in their everyday environment, as its chief photographer for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
ALDEBURGH, England (AP) — English rider Lizzie Armitstead has been taken to a hospital after crashing while celebrating winning the first stage of the Women’s Tour of Britain.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The effort to train Iraqi forces to fight Islamic State militants has been slowed by a lack of recruits and the U.S. will not meet its goal to train 24,000 by this fall, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday.