U.N. envoy warns of deepening ethnic divisions in Myanmar
YANGON (Reuters) – A senior U.N. official on Saturday warned of a growing polarization between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Myanmar and said the living conditions in camps housing displaced Muslims were deplorable.
Venezuela ex-general awaits U.S. extradition bid in Aruba jail
CARACAS (Reuters) – A retired Venezuelan military general wanted in the United States over drug-trafficking remained in jail on the Caribbean island of Aruba over the weekend awaiting a formal extradition request, his lawyer said.
Gunmen in army uniforms seize, later release Sunni official in Baghdad
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Gunmen wearing army uniforms who seized a senior local official and prominent member of a Sunni Islamist party from his Baghdad home on Friday night have released him, an official said late on Saturday.
India’s Modi under fire for silence over religious incidents
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing criticism for remaining silent about incidents deemed anti-Muslim in the past week, underscoring fears that his Hindu nationalist followers will upset religious relations in the m…
Hollande declares three days of mourning over Air Algerie crash
DAKAR/PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande ordered that flags on government buildings across France fly at half-mast for three days from Monday after the death of 118 people including 54 French nationals in the crash of an Air Algerie f…
Nigeria Shi’ite leader says military kills 3 sons, 30 supporters
ABUJA (Reuters) – The leader of Nigeria’s minority Shi’ite Muslims accused the military on Saturday of killing three of his sons and 30 of his supporters when they opened fire on a protest the previous day.
Britain arrests two in suspected female genital mutilation case
LONDON (Reuters) – British police have arrested two people in London on suspicion of conspiracy to carry out female genital mutilation (FGM) and placed a young girl in the care of social services, a police statement said on Saturday.
Ukraine fights ‘foreign mercenaries’ in its east, says president
KIEV/DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Saturday his country was not fighting a civil war in its east but was fighting “foreign mercenaries”, hailing soldiers for forcing pro-Russian rebels out of several towns and…
Egypt summons Turkish envoy for second time over Erdogan comments
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt summoned the Turkish charge d’affaires on Saturday for the second time in a month to complain about comments by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan deemed insulting to the leadership in Cairo, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.
Venezuela’s Maduro combats dissidence among ruling socialists
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s ruling Socialist Party began a six-day congress on Saturday with President Nicolas Maduro seeking to quieten hardliners who believe the state is failing to stem corruption or fix the economy.
