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.
Merkel’s conservatives back coalition deal despite doubts
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Christian Democrats (CDU) voted on Monday to approve a coalition with the arch-rival Social Democrats (SPD) after Chancellor Angela Merkel urged her conservatives to swallow some of their misgivings and back the deal.
Protests a memory, Brazil opposition struggles to catch Rousseff
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – This year has been difficult for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, but it hasn’t been much easier for her opposition.
Putin dissolves state news agency, tightens grip on Russia media
MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin tightened his control over Russia’s media on Monday by dissolving the main state news agency and replacing it with an organization that is to promote Moscow’s image abroad.
Protesters fell Lenin statue, tell Ukraine’s president ‘you’re next’
KIEV (Reuters) – Anti-government protesters toppled a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine’s capital and attacked it with hammers on Sunday in a symbolic challenge to President Viktor Yanukovich and his plans for closer ties with Ru…
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 told a court on Monday that he was a soldier at war and loved the Islamic militant group al Qaeda.
Egypt tunnel blockade takes toll on Gaza business
GAZA (Reuters) – Mohammed Al-Telbani, owner of one of Gaza’s biggest food factories, is the sort of businessman plucky enough to thrive despite an Israeli blockade of the Palestinian coastal enclave, but even he says he is finally running out of answer…
Mexico Senate committees near vote on bold energy reform
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican Senate committees on Monday resume debate of an energy bill that would open up the world’s No. 10 oil producer to private investment by allowing lucrative contracts in the sector’s most dramatic revamp in 75 years.
Venezuela’s socialists win majority in local polls
CARACAS (Reuters) – President Nicolas Maduro’s government won a majority of votes in Venezuela’s local elections on Sunday, disappointing the opposition and helping his quest to preserve the late Hugo Chavez’s socialist legacy.
