Turkish PM, facing uphill election battle, invites opposition to cabinet
ANKARA (Reuters) – Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu invited high profile opposition figures to join an interim cabinet on Wednesday, two months before a snap election at which his ruling AK Party may not recover its parliamentary majority.
Jailing of gay men in Senegal poses setback to HIV fight in Africa
DAKAR (Reuters) – It took less than a minute for a panel of judges in Senegal to sentence seven men to six months in prison for homosexuality last week, but campaigners say the harm to the African nation’s anti-HIV efforts could last much longer.
Gay pride not welcome in Venice, says city mayor
ROME (Reuters) – The mayor of Venice, who this month had a public row with British rock star Elton John over family values, has said he never wants to see a Gay Pride parade take place in the lagoon city while he is in charge.
Kurds launch new assault on Islamic State in northern Iraq
ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Kurdish forces attacked Islamic State insurgents in a cluster of villages in Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk on Wednesday, bent on securing territory they have gained in the course of rolling back the jihadists since last sum…
South Sudan seeks infrastructure funding as peace deal signed
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – As South Sudan’s president was due to sign a peace pact on Wednesday, his transport minister was in South Africa to sign a deal he hopes will be part of a new inflow of infrastructure investment needed to develop the world’s young…
Syrian FSA commander dies in attack in southern Turkey: Dogan news agency
ANKARA (Reuters) – A commander from the rebel Free Syrian Army died in a bomb attack on his car in the southern Turkish province of Hatay on Wednesday, the privately owned Dogan news agency said.
Wreckage of Soviet WWII plane recovered from riverbed in Poland
(Reuters) – The wreckage of a World War II Soviet plane and the remains of two crew members, believed to have been shot down by German forces in 1945, have been retrieved from a riverbed in central Poland, local media reported.
Merkel backs emergency funds for German towns facing refugee influx
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s government plans to double funding this year to help towns cope with record numbers of refugees, moving to tackle an issue that is straining resources and fuelling social tensions.
China sacks work safety chief after Tianjin blasts
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has sacked the head of its work safety regulator for suspected corruption, state news agency Xinhua said on Wednesday, following blasts that killed more than 100 people in the port city of Tianjin this month.
Bomb takes toll on Thai tourism; govt predicts swift rebound
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s worst-ever bombing has caused a 17 percent fall in tourist arrivals, putting pressure on revenues vital to the military government’s moves to resuscitate a struggling economy.
