Qatar pares support for Islamists but careful to preserve ties
DOHA (Reuters) – Qatar has joined the American-led coalition to fight Islamic State, yet the emirate is a haven for anti-Western groups and foreign diplomats have reported seeing cars with Islamic State logos in an affluent bay district.
Thailand promises peace ‘within a year’ in insurgency-hit south
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s military government vowed on Monday to bring peace to the Muslim-dominated south within a year, despite stalled peace talks aimed at ending an insurgency that has cost thousands of lives in the past decade.
China to set up new anti-graft office, official says
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will set up a new anti-corruption bureau under its top prosecutor, a senior official said, in an attempt to streamline an aggressive campaign against graft.
Far-right Israeli MP visits al-Aqsa compound, defying Netanyahu
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A far-right politician who wants Jews to be allowed to pray at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa compound visited the site on Sunday, defying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s calls for restraint after clashes this week between Israeli police…
Pro-Russian rebels vote for leaders in eastern Ukraine
DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Pro-Russian rebels elected a separatist leadership in eastern Ukraine on Sunday in a vote President Petro Poroshenko called “a farce”.
British banker charged with murder of two women in Hong Kong
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong police have charged a 29-year-old British banker with two counts of murder after authorities found the bodies of two women in his apartment, including one that had been hidden in a suitcase on a balcony.
Libyan army urges residents of Benghazi port area to evacuate
BENGHAZI Libya (Reuters) – Libya’s army urged residents to evacuate a central district of Benghazi that is home to its seaport, a spokesman said on Sunday, as it prepares a military operation against Islamists in the country’s second-largest city.
Two soldiers killed in north Mali explosion
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Two soldiers were killed in northern Mali and four injured after an improvised explosive device blew up at a checkpoint, the government and the United Nations said on Sunday.
Army clears protesters, fires warning shots in Burkina Faso
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – Burkina Faso’s army cleared thousands of protesters from the capital and opened fire at state TV headquarters on Sunday, killing one person, as it sought to restore order following the resignation of President Blaise Compaore tw…
Qaeda’s Nusra lays out conditions to release captured Lebanese soldiers
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian Nusra Front has offered to free Lebanese soldiers it has captured in exchange for Islamist prisoners held in Syria and Lebanon, the SITE Intelligence Group reported on Sunday.
