Qatar says Arab states’ demands ‘made to be rejected’, says open to talks
ROME (Reuters) – Demands made of Qatar by four other Arab states were designed to be rejected, Doha’s foreign minister said on Saturday, explaining that their ultimatum was aimed not at tackling terrorism but at curtailing his country’s sovereignty.
Northern Ireland power-sharing deal unlikely in coming days, Sinn Fein says
BELFAST (Reuters) – Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said on Saturday that Northern Ireland’s political parties were unlikely to reach a deal to restore the province’s power-sharing agreement in the next few days.
Putin has phone talks with Qatar, Bahrain on Gulf row
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin had telephone discussions with the leaders of Qatar and Bahrain, stressing the need for diplomacy to end the dispute between Qatar and several other Arab states, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
Mosul mosque where Islamic State took world stage lies in rubble
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – The leaning minaret of Mosul’s Grand al-Nuri Mosque survived conquests by the Mongols and the Ottomans, neglect under Saddam Hussein, and air raids during the Iran-Iraq War and the U.S. invasion in 2003.
Poland did not invite refugees, has right to say ‘no’: Kaczynski
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland has a moral right to say ‘no’ to refugees, the country’s most powerful politician said on Saturday.
Snipers, bombs, mortars – Philippine troops battle against Islamists
MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) – Sprawled on the boarded-up balcony of a two-storey house, the barrel of his rifle poked into a hole cut in the wood, the Philippine army sniper calls for quiet before taking his shot.
Pope shakes up Vatican by replacing conservative doctrinal chief
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – In a major shake-up of the Vatican’s administration on Saturday, Pope Francis replaced Catholicism’s top theologian, a conservative German cardinal who has been at odds with the pontiff’s vision of a more inclusive Church.
Defiant Kashmiri militant denounces U.S. terrorist designation
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) – A Kashmiri militant commander on Saturday denounced his designation as a terrorist by the United States, vowing to continue his armed fight against Indian rule over its part of the divided Himalayan territory.
World leaders bid farewell to Germany’s Kohl as force for European unity
SPEYER, Germany (Reuters) – Leaders from the United States, Russia and across Europe paid tribute on Saturday to former German chancellor Helmut Kohl as the architect of German reunification and a driving force for European integration.
Indian security forces kill top militant, aide in Kashmir gun battle
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) – Indian security forces shot dead a top Islamist militant who was accused of killing six police officers during a seven-hour gun battle in the disputed Kashmir region on Saturday, police and army officials said.
