Armenian ruling party quits PM race as protest leader bids for power
YEREVAN (Reuters) – Armenia’s ruling party will not put up a candidate for prime minister, it said on Saturday, in a bid to ease tensions after more than two weeks of street protests against the ruling elite.
New Secretary of State Pompeo starts Mideast tour in Riyadh
RIYADH (Reuters) – New U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on the first stop of his hastily-arranged visit to the Middle East as decisions on the Iran nuclear deal and a review of the U.S. role in Syria loom large.
Africa’s democratic ‘laggards’ must listen to calls for change: Liberia’s Johnson Sirleaf
KIGALI (Reuters) – African leaders resisting “democratic transformation” must heed their citizens’ calls for change, former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said on Saturday after receiving an award aimed at promoting good leadership on the con…
Macron’s talk of ‘new’ deal with Iran may not, in fact, be new
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron’s talk this week of a “new deal with Iran” may not, in fact, represent anything new nor a deal with Iran.
U.N. Security Council puts spotlight on Rohingya refugee crisis
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (Reuters) – U.N. Security Council envoys began a four-day visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar on Saturday to see firsthand the aftermath of a Myanmar military crackdown that Britain, the United States and others have denounced as et…
Pakistan moves jailed doctor who helped track bin Laden
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistani prison authorities have moved the jailed doctor believed to have helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden, his attorney said on Saturday, speculating it could be a prelude to his release.
German business leaders fear U.S. tariffs after Merkel-Trump talks
BERLIN (Reuters) – German business leaders voiced disappointment on Saturday over the outcome of talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump, saying they feared he would impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
Syrian army, Islamic State wage fierce battle in south Damascus
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian army and its allies engaged in a fierce battle on Saturday with Islamic State fighters in an enclave south of Damascus held by the jihadist group.
Iran’s Zarif says Trump demands on nuclear deal are unacceptable
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that demands by U.S President Donald Trump to change Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers were unacceptable.
Trial begins in Iran over deadly attacks claimed by Islamic State
DUBAI (Reuters) – A Revolutionary Court in Iran on Saturday began the trial of a group accused of involvement in attacks last year which killed 18 people in the first deadly operation by Islamic State in the country.
