Turkey seeks wider spy agency powers amid Erdogan power struggle
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s government sought parliamentary approval to boost the powers of the secret service on Thursday, a move seen by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s critics as a bid to tighten his grip on the apparatus of state as he wages a bitt…
Pope says ‘enough’ to human trafficking, calls it crime against humanity
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis said “enough” to human trafficking on Thursday, denouncing it as a crime against humanity as police leaders and religious groups from around the world pledged to work together to combat it.
Gunmen kill two Saudi guards near Yemen’s border: agency
RIYADH (Reuters) – Unidentified gunmen have killed two Saudi border guards who were patrolling Saudi Arabia’s border with Yemen, the Saudi state news agency said on Thursday.
Pakistani leader of banned sectarian group gets parliament seat
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s Election Commission has awarded a parliamentary seat to the leader of a banned sectarian group that activists blame for the deaths of hundreds of people.
Russia may change budget rules to cope with Crimea: deputy PM
BERLIN (Reuters) – Russia may change its budget rules to reflect the addition of Crimea and its population of about 2 million people, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov was quoted as saying on Thursday during a visit to Berlin.
Egypt woman professor targets young in bid to save Brotherhood
CAIRO (Reuters) – With a spare bed always ready for friends on the run, Wafaa Hefny is not your average English literature professor.
Group of deputies wants Gorbachev investigated over Soviet break-up
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A small group of lawmakers have asked Russia’s top prosecutor to investigate whether the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, should face treason charges over his role in the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Gaza athlete still runninng despite West Bank marathon ban
GAZA (Reuters) – Kicking up dust on the back roads of northern Gaza within sight of the Israeli fence that seals off the enclave, Olympic athlete Nader Al-Masri is still training, despite being barred from competing in his people’s largest sporting eve…
Anti-China protesters leave Taiwan parliament, vow to fight on against pact
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Hundreds of student protesters filed out of Taiwan’s parliament on Thursday after occupying the legislature for more than three weeks and vowed to press on with their campaign against a trade pact with Communist mainland China.
Iran proposes Arak reactor change to cut plutonium output: media
VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran has made a proposal that would significantly lower plutonium production at a planned reactor, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying, signalling flexibility on a key issue in talks to end the nuclear dispute with world p…
