Indonesian Islamic parties seek ban on alcohol consumption
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Two Islamic parties have proposed legislation to ban all consumption of alcoholic drinks and hand jail terms of up to two years to offenders in Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population.
Brazil’s president names progressive lawyer to Supreme Court
BRASILIA (Reuters) – President Dilma Rousseff nominated a law professor close to leftist social groups on Tuesday to sit on Brazil’s Supreme Court as it begins to investigate dozens of ruling coalition politicians for corruption.
‘We will never forget you,’ Malala writes to kidnapped Nigerian girls
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Pakistani teenager and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday told Nigerian schoolgirls who were kidnapped a year ago by Boko Haram militants they will never be forgotten and to never lose hope.
Russia confirms Iran oil-for-goods swap, no signs seen
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian traders, analysts and industry players on Tuesday questioned Moscow’s announcement that a long-heralded oil-for-assets barter deal with Iran was already being implemented, saying they saw no signs of extra trade.
Eyeing kingmaker role, UK Liberal Democrats pitch manifesto at center
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Liberal Democrats will on Wednesday make their bid for a seat at the top table after May’s national election, launching a centrist manifesto designed to win over swing voters and lay the ground for coalition talks.
India builds first ‘smart’ city as urban population swells
GANDHINAGAR, India (Reuters) – India’s push to accommodate a booming urban population and attract investment rests in large part with dozens of “smart” cities like the one being built on the dusty banks of the Sabarmati river in western India.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia discuss maneuvers as Yemen battles rage
ADEN (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday imposed an arms embargo targeting the Iran-allied Houthi rebels who now control most of Yemen as battles in the south of the country intensified.
Ahead of UK election, Labour leads Conservatives by 2 points: poll
(Reuters) – Ahead of Britain’s May 7 election, the opposition Labour Party has a two percentage point lead over Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative Party, according to a YouGov poll for The Sun newspaper published Tuesday.
Obama warns Iran its fighters in Iraq must answer to Baghdad
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama warned Iran on Tuesday that its fighters must respect Iraq’s sovereignty and answer to the government in Baghdad in the battle against Islamic State militants.
Former Central African presidents sign peace deal in Kenya
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Former Central African Republic Presidents Francois Bozize and Michel Djotodia signed a peace agreement in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesday, despite their country’s transitional government and foreign partners dismissing the pr…
