Cyprus faces fresh bailout uncertainty after privatization vote
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus re-submitted a controversial privatization law to parliament on Friday in a last-ditch attempt to win support from fractious lawmakers threatening to derail its international bailout program.
Islamist militants slice off alleged thief’s hand in Syria
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamist militants trying to enforce their religious strict code in rebel-held areas of Syria have cut off the hand of an alleged thief in Aleppo province, jihadi social media said on Friday.
Crackdown on shares fraud yields 110 arrests in Europe, U.S.
LONDON (Reuters) – Anti-fraud police have arrested 110 people in Europe and the United States in an international crackdown on gangs selling bogus shares that cost some investors their life savings, British authorities said on Friday.
Russian court puts Putin foe under house arrest
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian court placed opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for at least two months on Friday and barred him from using the Internet or speaking to the media.
Merkel’s Bavarian ally expects her to run again for German chancellor
BERLIN (Reuters) – The leader of Angela Merkel’s Bavarian sister party Horst Seehofer said he expected the German chancellor to stand for another term, after calls from her other coalition partner to stand down when her second term ends in 2017.
Israel warns Lebanon to curb Hezbollah reprisals for air strike
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel warned Lebanon on Friday to prevent threatened Hezbollah retaliation for an alleged Israeli air strike on a site used by the guerrillas on the Syrian border.
U.S. concerned by reports Myanmar suspends MSF in Rakhine State
YANGON (Reuters) – The United States on Friday urged Myanmar to allow humanitarian agencies “unfettered access” in Rakhine state, following reports the government had ordered medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to stop working there.
Tycoon says protests could damage Hong Kong’s reputation
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, one of the wealthiest men in Asia, warned on Friday that planned protests to shut down Hong Kong’s central business district later this year would damage the Asian financial hub.
Argentina’s poor at risk as inflation weakens safety net
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – At a soup kitchen in a Buenos Aires slum, Alejandro Monzon hung his head as he stood in line and recounted how his fortunes have unraveled over the last year.
Al Qaeda splinter group withdraws from Syrian town near Turkey
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Fighters from an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), withdrew from a rebel-held Syrian town near the border with Turkey on Friday, a monitoring group said.
