Erdogan would win Turkish presidency in first round: polls
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan would comfortably win the August presidential election if he decides to run, according to two local polls which give him a 20-point lead over his nearest challenger.
Suicide bomber hits hotel near Saudi embassy in Beirut
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A suicide bomber wounded three security officers in a hotel close to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanon’s interior minister said, the third blast in the country in less than a week.
Advisers urge Japan to offer foreign aid to richer nations
TOKYO (Reuters) – Advisers to Japan’s foreign minister urged the government on Thursday to include richer nations among its foreign aid recipients, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushes for Tokyo to play a bigger role in global security and diplomacy.
Philippine film star-turned-senator pleads not guilty to graft
MANILA (Reuters) – A popular Philippine action movie hero-turned senator pleaded not guilty to plunder on Thursday in a case seen as landmark test of the government’s ability to tackle entrenched corruption in the poor Southeast Asian nation.
China jails nine more in Xinjiang for terror offences
BEIJING (Reuters) – Authorities in China’s violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang have jailed nine more people for up to 14 years for terror-related offences at a public sentencing in front of more than 3,000 people, state media said on Thursday…
At least 21 killed in rush-hour blast in Nigerian capital
ABUJA (Reuters) – At least 21 people were killed when a suspected bomb tore through a crowded shopping district in the Nigerian capital Abuja during rush hour on Wednesday, police said, adding to the toll of hundreds killed in attacks this year.
Poor turnout in Libyan parliament vote as prominent lawyer killed
TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI Libya (Reuters) – Fewer than half of the eligible Libyans voted in a parliamentary election on Wednesday overshadowed by violence, officials said, with the paltry turnout reflecting disillusion with chaos pervading since Muammar Gaddaf…
West renews Russia sanctions threat as Ukraine ceasefire crumbles
BRUSSELS/SLAVIANSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Western powers warned Russia on Wednesday that they could impose new sanctions if Moscow did not do more to defuse the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where a ceasefire between Russian-speaking rebels and government …
Iraq insurgents seize oilfields, hit air base as U.S. advisers arrive
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Militants attacked one of Iraq’s largest air bases and seized control of several small oilfields on Wednesday as U.S. special forces troops and intelligence analysts arrived to help Iraqi security forces counter a mounting Sunni ins…
Russia says next Iran atom talks to be marathon, slams U.N. experts
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Russia’s U.N. envoy on Wednesday said the next round of talks between Iran and six world powers will be a two-week marathon session, while warning a panel of U.N. sanctions experts not to sabotage the final phase of the delic…
