Bulgarian opposition demands referendum on voting rules
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgarian right-wing activists backed by the opposition GERB party demanded on Monday a referendum to challenge the voting rules in the Balkan country in what has become an increasingly divisive issue in the run up to European vote th…
Peru to extradite suspect in U.S. teen’s disappearance after his 28-year sentence
LIMA (Reuters) – Peru has passed a law to extradite Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot to the United States for questioning about the high-profile disappearance of an American teenager, but not until he finishes a 28-year jail term for murdering a Peruv…
Pro-Kurdish party says nationalist attacks threaten Turkish poll
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A spate of attacks on Turkey’s pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party (HDP) is harming its ability to campaign for local elections later this month and threatens the fairness of the outcome, party leaders said on Monday.
Turkish coup trial convicts freed amid political turmoil
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey ordered the release of five men convicted of plotting a coup, days after an ex-military chief was freed in a case that has come to highlight a power struggle between Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and a U.S.-based Islamic cle…
Serbia set to swallow bitter pill after snap election
SMEDEREVO, Serbia (Reuters) – The steel mill in this Danube river town has fed three generations of Milos’s family. But the 17-year veteran believes he will be the last.
Israel open to joint missile defense with Jordan, Egypt
TEL AVIV (Reuters) – A U.S. general proposed on Monday that Israel upgrade its anti-missile systems to include neighboring Jordan and possibly Egypt, and an Israeli official cautiously welcomed the idea.
Dozens of Pakistani children die in drought-stricken region
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Dozens of children have died of malnutrition and other causes in Pakistan’s southern region this year, prompting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to travel to the drought-stricken area to allocate $10 million in emergency aid.
Iran warns Austrian embassy over Ashton meeting with rights activists: IRNA
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran has warned the Austrian embassy in Tehran after it hosted a meeting between the EU foreign policy chief and Iranian human rights activists during her first visit to Iran over the weekend, the state news agency IRNA said on Monday…
Syrian forces committing war crimes in Yarmouk siege: Amnesty
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Amnesty International accused President Bashar al-Assad’s forces on Monday of perpetrating war crimes as part of a siege in southern Damascus which has killed nearly 200 people, mostly by starvation.
Colombia congress vote almost assures Santos lead in presidential ballot
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos heads into presidential elections for a second straight term with his lead all but certain, even while seats for his ruling coalition were trimmed in a congressional vote that cemented his fier…
