WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has ruled out deploying US ground troops in Syria and says military efforts alone cannot solve the country’s problems. “It would be a mistake for the United States, or Great Britain… to send in ground troops and overthrow the [Bashar al-] Assad regime,” he told the BBC. He also said…
OHIO – At least eight people have been killed in “execution-style” killings in four separate homes in rural Ohio. It is believed the victims – seven adults and one teenager – are from the same family, the state’s attorney general said in a statement. They were all shot in the head and police are still…
BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and top EU officials are set to visit the Turkish-Syrian border on Saturday in an attempt to soothe tensions over a refugee swap deal between the EU and Turkey. Last month, Turkey and the EU reached a deal aimed at stopping the flow of refugees and migrants into Europe….
NEW YORK – Donald Trump has promised to change his image, in a closed-door meeting with Republican party leaders. The businessman, who leads the party’s race to be presidential nominee, delivered his message via aides, the Associated Press news agency reports. His success in primary elections so far has set off alarm bells among those…
QUITO – Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa has warned that the death toll from a powerful earthquake which has killed more than 250 people is likely to rise. But he also said there was evidence that people were still alive under the rubble of collapsed buildings. Mr Correa has visited some of the people affected after…
RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil’s lower house has voted to start impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff over charges of manipulating government accounts. The “yes” camp comfortably won the required two-thirds majority, after a lengthy session in the capital. The motion will now go to the upper house, the Senate, which is expected to suspend…
MOSCOW – Vladimir Putin has apologised for erroneously claiming that German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung was owned by the US bank Goldman Sachs. The Russian president made the remark in a televised phone-in on Thursday. It concerned who was responsible for the publication of the so-called Panama Papers, which were leaked to Sueddeutsche Zeitung and revealed…
WASHINGTON – Islamic State (IS) recruits are increasingly heading to Libya following the setbacks the militant group has suffered in Iraq and Syria, US President Barack Obama has said. The US will continue efforts to beat it back in Libya, he added. Last week, Mr Obama said the “worst mistake” of his presidency was his…
LONDON – Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff has suffered a blow to her hopes of staving off impeachment proceedings, after a committee voted they should go ahead. The 65-member congressional committee voted 38 to 27 to recommend impeachment over claims she manipulated government accounts to hide a growing deficit. All eyes will now be on a…
NEW DEHLI – An explosion and blaze sparked by fireworks have killed at least 100 people at a Hindu temple in the Indian state of Kerala, police say. The fireworks exploded as thousands of people had gathered to celebrate a local new year festival. More than 200 were injured. A building at the temple then…
