Tajik leader extending long rule in volatile region
DUSHANBE (Reuters) – Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon looked set to win a new seven-year term on Wednesday, demonstrating his grip on a Muslim Central Asian state beset by poverty and facing security threats from neighboring Afghanistan.
In Assad’s Damascus, Syrians fall prey to gun law
DAMASCUS (Reuters) – When armed men appeared at a home in the northern Damascus district of Rukn al-Din, they told the elderly woman who answered the door they were state security forces carrying out a routine inspection.
Israel’s Lieberman rejoining government after acquittal
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed his former foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, back to government on Wednesday after the ultra-nationalist politician was acquitted of corruption charges.
Anti-austerity strike brings Greece to a halt during troika visit
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek schools shut and flights were disrupted as workers held a general strike on Wednesday to protest austerity imposed by foreign lenders, whose inspectors were in Athens to review the country’s performance under its bailout.
Exclusive: Chaos in Libya brings trouble importing food
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Payments problems, chaos and corruption are hampering Libyan importers from making big deals to buy wheat, another setback as the country spins out of control two years after dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled by rebels and NATO w…
Gunmen shoot dead Iran prosecutor in unruly southeast
DUBAI (Reuters) – Gunmen shot dead a public prosecutor and his driver in southeastern Iran on Wednesday, Iranian media said, less than two weeks after militants killed 14 Iranian border guards nearby and Tehran retaliated by hanging 16 prisoners.
Myanmar set to release dozens of political prisoners: panel member
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar may release scores of political prisoners this month to fulfil a promise by its reformist president to free prisoners of conscience by the end of this year, a member of a state-appointed panel said on Wednesday.
Israel’s Lieberman cleared of corruption charges
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Former Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a key ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was cleared of corruption charges in court on Wednesday, paving the way for a political comeback.
Thai Senate likely to reject amnesty bill, says speaker
BANGKOK (Reuters) – The Thai Senate will likely reject an amnesty bill critics say is aimed at bringing back convicted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra from exile, the Senate Speaker said on Wednesday, a move that could defuse rising tension on the st…
Japan collective self-defense should include others, not just U.S.: adviser
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan should change the interpretation of its constitution to allow its military to defend not only its ally, the United States, but also other countries whose interests are closely intertwined with Tokyo, a key security adviser to Pr…
