Palestinians villagers fear encroaching settlement bloc
KUFR AL-DEEK West Bank (Reuters) – Palestinians in the village of Kufr al-Deek in the northern occupied West Bank awoke on Sunday to see Israeli earth-movers busily flattening the top of a nearby hill.
In rare Israel visit, Lebanese church head hears exiled Christians
KUFR BIRIM Israel (Reuters) – A Lebanese church leader who defied warnings from the powerful Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah movement by accompanying the Pope on a Holy Land visit pledged on Wednesday to help dispossessed Christians in Israel.
Anglican leader says minorities in Pakistan ‘under siege’
LAHORE Pakistan (Reuters) – The spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans urged Pakistan to treat all people equally on Wednesday during a trip designed to show his support for the embattled Christian community, saying many felt “under siege”.
Boko Haram too extreme for ‘al Qaeda in West Africa’ brand
ABUJA (Reuters) – When Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan branded Boko Haram “al Qaeda in West Africa”, it was sure to turn up the alarm among Western policy-makers, if its kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls was not enough.
Angolan police detain, beat protesters: activist
LUANDA (Reuters) – Angolan police have beaten and detained 20 people protesting against the killing of three activists by security forces, demonstrators said on Wednesday.
Russia expresses concern about Abkhazia unrest
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia expressed concern on Wednesday over unrest in Abkhazia, where demonstrators have seized control of the presidential administration headquarters in what the leader of the Moscow-backed breakaway province of Georgia called an at…
U.S. cannot confirm Nigerian claim to have located kidnapped girls
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – (This May 27 story was corrected to say Nigerian government in fourth paragraph)
Japan PM says will take time to provide patrol ships to Vietnam
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan said on Wednesday it was unable to immediately provide decommissioned patrol ships to Vietnam amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea as its own coastguard was stretched by surveillance activities.
Myanmar lawmakers to debate law curbing religious conversions
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar began a parliamentary session on Wednesday that will see lawmakers debate the first of four proposed laws that aim to protect the country’s majority Buddhist identity by regulating religious conversions and interfaith marriag…
Miners rally in favor of separatists in eastern Ukraine
DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Up to 1,000 coal miners rallied on Wednesday in support of armed pro-Russian separatists who are battling Ukrainian forces in defense of their self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DNR) in eastern Ukraine.
