U.S. says Syria government mostly to blame for hindered aid
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – A U.N. report on how Syria’s neediest civilians are often not accessible to humanitarian relief workers makes it clear that the government of President Bashar al-Assad shoulders most of the blame, a U.S. official said on Tues…
Brotherhood head, 682 others tried in Egypt after mass death sentence
MINYA, Egypt (Reuters) – The leader of Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and 682 others went on trial on Tuesday on charges including murder, a day after more than 500 supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi were sentenced to death.
AU brands Central African Republic militia ‘terrorists’ after peacekeeper killed
BANGUI (Reuters) – The African Union on Tuesday branded militia targeting Muslims in Central African Republic as “terrorists” and said they would be treated as enemy combatants, a day after a Congolese peacekeeper was killed.
Left party to exit Finland’s government over budget cuts
HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland’s Left Alliance will quit the government after opposing cuts to welfare spending in the budget, the party’s leader said on Tuesday, but the ruling coalition will retain a parliamentary majority.
Southern ‘sweep’ state could shape India’s next government
TIRUVANNAMALAI, India (Reuters) – The politics of forming India’s next government could come down to how many seats a 1960s matinee siren can wrest from a rival named Stalin.
Iraq electoral commission resigns en masse weeks before vote
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The entire board of Iraq’s electoral commission tendered its resignation on Tuesday in protest against political interference, casting doubt on a nationwide vote scheduled for next month.
Hollande to ‘act’ as French government reshuffle talk grows
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande will act soon in response to his Socialist Party’s poor showing in municipal elections, a presidential source said on Tuesday, amid growing talk of an imminent reshuffle of government ministers.
Obama brings U.S. allies South Korea and Japan together for talks
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama brought together the leaders of Japan and South Korea on Tuesday for their first face-to-face talks, seeking to thaw chilly relations between two of Washington’s closest Asian allies.
Policemen injured by bomb on highway in Bahrain
MANAMA (Reuters) – A blast caused by a homemade bomb on a highway west of Bahrain’s capital Manama caused minor injuries to several policemen, the Gulf Arab kingdom’s Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.
Spanish court says Catalonia sovereignty claim illegal
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday partially struck down a sovereignty claim approved by lawmakers last year in the northern region of Catalonia, a vital step toward a referendum on full independence, court papers showed.