Saudi call for Gulf Arab union faces hurdles at summit
KUWAIT (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s dream of binding the Gulf Arab states into a union will get a skeptical hearing at a summit this week, with differences over Iran, Egypt and Syria demonstrating that the Gulf’s absolute monarchs do not all speak with o…
Turkish court frees lawmaker in coup plot case pending appeal
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Journalist and elected parliamentarian Mustafa Balbay was freed from prison on Monday pending appeal after Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled his pre-trial detention period of more than four years had violated his rights.
Iran, six powers meet on steps to carry out nuclear deal
VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran and six world powers began expert-level talks on Monday to work out nitty gritty details in implementing a landmark accord for Tehran to curb its disputed nuclear program in return for a limited easing of sanctions.
French troops fight Central African Republic gunmen in capital
BANGUI (Reuters) – French troops fought gunmen in Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, on Monday as they searched for weapons in an operation to disarm rival Muslim and Christian fighters responsible for hundreds of killings since last week…
Mayor of Colombia’s capital removed from post
BOGOTA (Reuters) – The leftist mayor of Colombia’s capital of Bogota was removed from his post on Monday for the mismanagement of garbage collection and banned from holding office for 15 years, a blow to the nation’s left as peace talks continue with M…
U.S. drone strike kills three in Yemen: local official
SANAA (Reuters) – Missiles fired from a U.S. drone killed at least three people travelling in a car in eastern Yemen on Monday, a local official said.
Italian police fire tear gas as thousands stage “Pitchfork Protest”
ROME (Reuters) – Police fired tear gas as thousands of farmers, truckers and unemployed people disrupted road and rail traffic in cities across Italy on Monday in protests aimed against targets ranging from banks to the tax collection agency, Equitalia…
Man killed British soldier in war for Allah, court hears
LONDON (Reuters) – A man accused of murdering a British soldier in broad daylight on a London street described himself in court on Monday as a soldier at war and said he loved the Islamic militant group al Qaeda.
Syrian army retakes road needed to ship out chemical arms
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have taken control of a highway connecting Damascus to the coast that is needed to extract hundreds of tons of toxic chemicals for destruction, state television said on Monday.
Egypt puts Brotherhood leader on trial, students protest
CAIRO (Reuters) – The Muslim Brotherhood’s leader turned on his accusers on Monday when he appeared in court for the first time since he was arrested following the army’s overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.
