Turkey’s Erdogan trumpets high-speed rail link as election looms
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated a $4 billion high-speed train link between Istanbul and Ankara on Friday, the latest in a series of “mega projects” he hopes will help him win a presidential election in a few weeks…
Rival to UK PM Cameron in 2015 vote says can win despite poor image
LONDON (Reuters) – The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour party said on Friday he could win a national election next May, despite his perceived image problem, by focusing on big policy ideas rather than photo opportunities.
Indonesia’s Prabowo challenges election result at Constitutional Court
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s losing candidate in this month’s presidential election challenged the official result in the Constitutional Court on Friday.
Turkish court keeps police in custody on spying allegations
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish court ordered that eight police officers be kept in custody on Friday pending a possible trial over accusations that they spied on Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his inner circle, media reports said.
Wary Pakistan puts military in charge of capital’s security
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan is putting the military in charge of security in the capital, Islamabad, in case Pakistani Taliban militants try to launch attacks in response to an army offensive against them, the government said on Friday.
Two killed by car bomb blamed on separatists in southern Thailand
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A car bomb killed at least two people and injured 36 outside a hotel in southern Thailand on Friday, police said, the latest deadly attack in an area plagued by separatist violence for the past decade.
Australia to ship Tamil asylum seekers to its mainland
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will transfer 157 Tamil asylum seekers it has been holding at sea for nearly a month to a mainland detention center, the immigration minister said on Friday, in an apparent setback for the government’s policies.
Poland says may appeal European court ruling on CIA jail
WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday Warsaw will probably appeal against a European Court of Human Rights ruling that Poland hosted a secret CIA jail.
China imposes airline-like restrictions on bus passengers in Xinjiang capital
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has banned bus passengers in the capital of western Xinjiang region from carrying items ranging from cigarette lighters to yogurt, state media said on Friday, in the latest effort by authorities to prevent violent attacks.
Pakistani boy loses arms after row with landowner over cows: police
LAHORE Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistani police have arrested the son of a landowner for an assault on a 10-year-old boy which resulted in his injured arms being amputated, the latest case highlighting harsh treatment of villagers by so-called feudal fami…
