Saudi bank’s $6 billion IPO ignites religious controversy
RIYADH (Reuters) – Plans by Saudi Arabia’s biggest bank for a $6 billion initial public offer of shares, the largest-ever equity sale in the Arab world, have run into religious controversy with some clerics suggesting it violates Islamic principles.
EU to ban fish from Sri Lanka, saying lax on illegal fishing
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission proposed a ban on imports of fish from Sri Lanka for not tackling illegal fishing properly and lifted a ban on fish imports from Belize following the reform of its vessel inspection practices.
Swiss govt: ‘Yes’ in anti-immigration vote next month would damage EU ties
ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland’s government said on Tuesday that a result in favor of severely limiting immigration in a Nov. 30 referendum would imperil ongoing negotiations with the European Union after a similar anti-immigration vote in February dam…
British ex-PM Blair may have been terrorism target, court hears
LONDON (Reuters) – A man charged in Britain with terrorism offences at a trial so sensitive that prosecutors sought to have it heard entirely in secret might have been planning an attack on ex-prime minister Tony Blair, a court heard on Tuesday.
French judge in Algeria to investigate 1996 monks’ murder
ALGIERS (Reuters) – A French judge is visiting Algeria as part of an investigation into the killing of seven French Trappist monks during Islamist-linked violence 18 years ago, an Algerian justice official said on Tuesday.
Palestinians, Israeli police clash at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa compound
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protesters and shut down access to Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound on Monday in a deepening dispute over access to the area, the third holiest shrine in Islam which is also revered by Je…
North Korea leader Kim re-appears, with walking stick: state media
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, shown using a cane for support, re-appeared in state media on Tuesday after a lengthy public absence that had fueled speculation over his health and grip on power in the secretive, nuclear-capable coun…
Qatar Emir tells Saudi King he met terms to end GCC rift: Gulf source
(Reuters) – Qatar’s emir told Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah this week his country had done everything it could to resolve a dispute over Doha’s links with Islamist groups, but the monarch appeared unconvinced, a Gulf security source said on Tuesday.
Europe examining ways to press Israel over settlements: diplomats
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – European officials are looking at new ways to press Israel to halt its building of settlements on land the Palestinians want for a state, as frustration over the construction program reaches a new high, European diplomats say.
Kurdish PKK militants say Turkey violated ceasefire with air strikes
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said on Tuesday the Turkish military had launched air strikes on its guerrillas in southeast Turkey on Monday, violating a ceasefire agreed under a two-year-old peace process.
