Two frontrunners emerge in Tunisia’s presidential vote
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisians vote on Sunday in a presidential election pitting an ex-official from the days of autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali against a rights activist appealing to the spirit of the 2011 revolt that ousted him.
Bahrain holds elections as Shi’ite opposition boycotts vote
MANAMA (Reuters) – Bahrainis voted on Saturday in elections boycotted by the Shi’ite Muslim opposition over accusations that constituency changes would still favor the Sunni Muslim majority represented by the ruling family.
U.S.-led strikes have killed 910 people in Syria: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Air strikes by U.S.-led forces in Syria have killed 910 people, including 52 civilians, since the start of the campaign against Islamic State and other fighters two months ago, a group monitoring the conflict said on Saturday.
Portuguese ex-PM Socrates arrested in corruption probe
LISBON (Reuters) – Portuguese police have arrested former Socialist prime minister Jose Socrates and three other people in an investigation of suspected tax fraud, corruption and money-laundering, the Prosecutor General’s office said on Saturday.
New Burkina president vows to identify folk hero Sankara’s body
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – Burkina Faso’s new transitional president has promised to open an investigation to identify remains believed to be those of the West African nation’s murdered revolutionary folk hero Thomas Sankara.
Philippines blacklists nine Hong Kong journalists for heckling Aquino
Manila (Reuters) – The Philippines has barred entry to nine Hong Kong television and radio journalists, saying they heckled President Benigno Aquino during a meeting of the APEC grouping last year and presented a threat to public safety.
Canadian vets plan to join Kurdish fight against Islamic State
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Several former Canadian soldiers plan to join Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in coming weeks, with at least one already in Iraq, Canadian media reported on Friday, bolstering the ranks of foreigners fighting alongsid…
China building South China Sea island big enough for airstrip: report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Satellite images show China is building an island on a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands large enough to accommodate what could be its first offshore airstrip in the South China Sea, a leading defense publication said on Frida…
Grappling with protests, Mexico president urges swift judicial reform
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Embattled President Enrique Peña Nieto called on Mexico’s states on Friday to swiftly adopt steps to modernize the justice system as he tries to defuse mass protests over the apparent massacre of 43 trainee teachers.
Cuban migrants head off from Caymans, bound for Honduras
GEORGE TOWN Cayman Islands (Reuters) – A group of 15 Cuban migrants waved to onlookers as they set sail from Grand Cayman aboard a 14-foot homemade boat on Friday after a brief overnight stop, hoping to make the risky 400-mile journey across the Caribb…
