International
Italy parties propose unknown academic to head radical government
ROME (Reuters) - If you have never heard of Italy's possible new prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, then you are in good company. Neither have the vast majority of Italians.
Syria's army captures last insurgent area near Damascus
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army has restored control over all areas surrounding the capital Damascus for the first time since early in the seven-year-old war, after pushing Islamic State militants out of a south Damascus pocket, the military said.
In new U.S. hardline on Iran, Pompeo lists sweeping demands
WASHINGTON/ANKARA (Reuters) - The United States told Iran on Monday to drop its nuclear ambitions and pull out of the Syrian civil war in a list of demands that marked a new hardline against Tehran and prompted an Iranian official to warn that Washington seeks regime change.
Italy's 5-Star meets steel unions on Ilva plant it eventually wants shut
ROME (Reuters) - A prominent 5-Star Movement lawmaker met unions at Italy's Ilva steel plant on Monday, saying afterward he had made headway toward a solution for the factory - due to be bought by ArcelorMittal with several thousand job losses - which his party wants eventually to close.
Russian 'dirty money' flowing through London damages UK: lawmakers
LONDON (Reuters) - "Dirty" Russian money hidden in British assets and laundered through City of London financial institutions undermines the government's efforts to take a tougher stance against Moscow's "aggressive foreign policy", UK lawmakers said on Monday.
Vietnam says Chinese bombers in disputed South China Sea increase tensions
HANOI (Reuters) - Recent activity by China's strategic bombers in the South China Sea's Paracel Islands seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty over the disputed territory, Vietnam's foreign ministry said on Monday.
U.S. threatens 'strongest' sanctions on Iran, seeks sweeping change
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday threatened to impose the "strongest sanctions in history" against Iran if it did not accept a sweeping series of U.S. demands, including effectively giving up its nuclear ambitions, curtailing its ballistic missile program and ending its expansionist behavior.
After re-election, Venezuela's Maduro faces foreign backlash
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro faced widespread international condemnation on Monday after his re-election in a weekend vote his critics denounced as a farce cementing autocracy in the crisis-stricken oil producer.
Swedes told to prepare for conflict in Cold War-style booklet
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden will send out instructions to its citizens next week on how to cope with an outbreak of war, as the country faces an assertive Russia across the Baltic Sea.
Syrian army takes last insurgent area near Damascus
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army has restored control over all areas surrounding the capital Damascus, it said on Monday, for the first time since early in the seven-year war, after pushing Islamic State militants out of a south Damascus pocket.
Trump presses China on North Korea border ahead of summit
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged China on Monday to maintain a secure border with North Korea, pressing Beijing ahead of his anticipated meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month aimed at denuclearization.
Myanmar judge to rule on evidence allegedly taken from Reuters reporters' phones
YANGON (Reuters) - A Myanmar judge will rule on Tuesday whether to allow the submission of evidence police say they obtained from the mobile phones of two Reuters reporters arrested in December for alleged possession of secret documents.
After re-election, Venezuela's Maduro faces overseas condemnation
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro faced international condemnation on Monday after his re-election in a vote foes denounced as a farce that cemented autocracy in the crisis-stricken oil-producing nation.
Russia's first sea-borne nuclear power plant arrives in Arctic
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's first-floating nuclear power plant arrived in the Arctic port of Murmansk over the weekend in preparation for its maiden mission, providing electricity to an isolated Russian town across the Bering Strait from Alaska.
First Ebola vaccines given as WHO seeks to beat Congo outbreak
LONDON, (Reuters) - A vaccination campaign aimed at beating an outbreak of Ebola in Congo began on Monday in the port city of Mbandaka, where four cases of the deadly disease have been confirmed.
Trump trade threat looms large as Merkel heads to China
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Angela Merkel faces a delicate diplomatic balancing act when she travels to China this week on a visit clouded by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade threats and his decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.
Britain more welcoming to migrants, says Brexit-supporting minister Gove
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has become more welcoming to migration since it voted to leave the European Union, environment minister and leading Brexit campaigner Michael Gove said on Monday.
Syrian army clears south Damascus of Islamic State-state: TV
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army pushed Islamic State militants out of a south Damascus pocket on Monday, effectively clearing all insurgents from around the capital, state television said.
