Ukraine acts against corruption, protests mar election run-up
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukraine approved sweeping laws on Tuesday to stamp out corruption and curb Soviet-era state surveillance of political life ahead of a parliamentary election its pro-Western leaders hope will push the country towards the European mainst…
Hong Kong police use sledgehammers, chainsaws to clear protest barriers, open road
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hundreds of Hong Kong police used sledgehammers and chainsaws on Tuesday to tear down barricades erected by pro-democracy protesters near government offices and the financial center, reopening a major road for the first time in tw…
Iraqi member of parliament killed in car bomb blast in western Baghdad
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A Shi’ite Muslim member of Iraq’s parliament was killed in a car bomb attack at a checkpoint entrance to the Shi’ite neighborhood of Kadhimiya in Baghdad on Tuesday, according to a parliamentary media official and police.
Prison would ‘break’ Pistorius: defense witness
PRETORIA (Reuters) – South African athlete Oscar Pistorius would be “broken as a person” if he were jailed for killing his girlfriend because of his disability and psychological problems, a defense witness at his sentencing hearing said on Tuesday.
India loses WTO dispute over bird flu curbs on U.S. poultry
GENEVA (Reuters) – India broke World Trade Organization rules by blocking U.S. poultry imports because of unsubstantiated bird flu fears, a WTO dispute panel ruled on Tuesday.
Tunisia says it thwarted jihadist attack before elections
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisian security forces have arrested a group of Islamist militants, including two women, that planned to carry out attacks in the capital, Tunis, less than two weeks before parliamentary elections, authorities said on Tuesday.
Yemen on the brink as rebels oust the old guard
SANAA/DUBAI (Reuters) – The Houthi rebels who stunned the Arab world with the sudden seizure of Yemen’s capital will have to strive to cement their power in the face of well-armed rivals, a test of strength that could tip the unstable country deeper in…
U.N.’s Mali envoy to quit after being named Dutch foreign minister
AMSTERDAM/DAKAR (Reuters) – The head of the United Nations’ mission in Mali is to quit to take up a new job as the Netherlands’ foreign minister, the Dutch government said on Tuesday, opening up a vacancy in the west African nation at a time of growing…
Algerian police march in rare protest in capital
ALGIERS (Reuters) – About 300 Algerian police officers marched through Algiers on Tuesday in a rare public protest by security forces to show solidarity with a police demonstration over working conditions and riots in a southern city.
France: Palestinian recognition shouldn’t be merely symbolic
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that Paris should recognize a Palestinian state only if doing so would help achieve peace, not as a symbolic gesture.
