Sri Lankan president seeks Supreme Court nod for third term
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has asked the Supreme Court to determine if there is any constitutional obstacle to his becoming president for a third term, something the top lawyers’ association says he can not do.
Eleven children killed when mortars hit Damascus school: monitoring group
BEIRUT (Reuters) – At least 11 children were killed in Damascus when mortars fell on a school in an eastern district of the Syrian capital, a monitoring group said on Wednesday.
Mob lynches Christian couple in Pakistan, dozens arrested
LAHORE Pakistan (Reuters) – Police in Pakistan arrested dozens of people on Wednesday after a mob beat a Christian couple to death and burned their bodies for allegedly desecrating a Koran.
Hong Kong students fine-tune plan to take democracy call to Beijing
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Students calling for full democracy for Chinese-ruled Hong Kong are hoping to take their protest to Communist Party rulers in Beijing and are expected to announce details of their new battle plan on Thursday.
Congress faithful question Gandhi leadership in India
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Rumblings of dissent are growing against the Gandhi family that leads India’s hapless Congress party, five months after the most resounding electoral defeat in the party’s 129-year history.
West African presidents open talks with Burkina’s military leader
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – A delegation of West African presidents opened talks with Burkina Faso’s new military leader on Wednesday to plot a path to a civilian-led transition in the wake of the resignation of longtime ruler Blaise Compaore last week.
Ailing Sultan Qaboos tells Omanis he will miss birthday celebrations
MUSCAT (Reuters) – Oman’s Sultan Qaboos, in Germany for medical treatment since July, said on Wednesday he would miss annual celebrations of his birthday this month in the Arabian peninsula country he has ruled for more than four decades.
Myanmar exhumes body of journalist killed in military custody
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar authorities exhumed the body on Wednesday of a journalist killed in military custody, and one rights activist said the body bore what he thought were marks of torture.
Saudi Arabia shuts office of TV channel for fomenting sectarian tension
DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has closed down the offices of a religious television channel accused of fomenting sectarian tension, after at least eight people were killed in an attack on Shi’ite Muslims marking a major religious anniversary.
French Socialists eye parliamentary vote on Palestinian recognition
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s ruling Socialist party wants parliament to recognize a Palestinian state, parliamentary sources said, following similar moves by Sweden and Britain that are meant to overcome an impasse in peacemaking but which have angered I…
