Draft Egypt constitution strengthens army as talks drag on
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s new constitution would strengthen the army’s hand and could ban Islamist parties outright, according to a draft published in state media on Thursday, though the drafting body missed a self-imposed deadline for finalizing the t…
SPD tries to overcome grassroots skepticism on Merkel deal
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Social Democrats began a do-or-die campaign on Thursday to persuade nearly half a million grassroots members, many skeptical about governing with conservative Angela Merkel again, to back their “grand coalition” in a ballot…
Afghan president condemns U.S. airstrike that killed a child
KABUL (Reuters) – President Hamid Karzai said U.S. forces had bombed a home in southern Afghanistan, killing a small child and wounding two women, and condemned the attack as a sign of disregard for civilian lives, his spokesman said on Thursday.
Mexico leftists temporarily exit reform-building pact
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The leader of Mexico’s main leftist political party said on Thursday it had temporarily pulled out of a cross-party pact aimed at forging economic reforms, saying they were being sidelined in talks over a key energy reform.
Seven killed in Iran quake, no damage to nuclear station reported
DUBAI (Reuters) – At least seven people were killed in an earthquake in Iran on Thursday near the city of Bushehr, where the country’s sole nuclear power plant is situated, state news agency IRNA reported.
EU leaders set for tough table-talk with Ukraine’s Yanukovich
VILNIUS (Reuters) – The European Union told Ukraine it was risking its economic future by rejecting a free-trade deal in favor of closer ties with Russia, hours before a likely frosty encounter on Thursday evening between EU leaders and President Vikto…
The ‘eye sniper’ and the girl protesters: Egypt’s tale of two trials
CAIRO (Reuters) – Two high-profile Egyptian trials, both arising from years of turbulent protests, have delivered sharply contrasting sentences in the space of just a few months.
IAEA says may need more money to help implement Iran nuclear deal
VIENNA (Reuters) – The U.N. atomic watchdog will probably need more money to verify the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, its chief said on Thursday, and it would take some time to prepare for the task.
Four Libyan soldiers killed in new violence in Benghazi
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – Four Libyan soldiers were killed when clashes erupted between the army and militant Islamists in the eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday, army and security officials said.
Insight: Iran sanctions deal sparks hunt for vintage plane parts
(Reuters) – While foreign ministers raced to Geneva for a crucial phase of talks over Iran’s nuclear activities earlier this month, passengers with the country’s national airline faced a little-noticed drama on the other side of the world.
