Britain scraps immigration bond plan after outcry, coalition split
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain has scrapped a plan to force people from certain African and Asian countries to pay a cash bond in return for a visitor’s visa after it caused an outcry at home and abroad and exposed a rift in the governing coalition.
Mursi to go on trial as Egypt struggles for democracy
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s first freely elected president, Mohamed Mursi, goes on trial on Monday under a security crackdown that has devastated his Muslim Brotherhood movement and raised concerns that the army-backed government is reimposing a police s…
Hungarian far-right sparks protests as it commemorates wartime leader
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party unveiled a statue of wartime leader Miklos Horthy, who presided over the country’s alliance with Nazi Germany, in Budapest on Sunday, sparking protests and highlighting concerns about anti-Semitism …
Congo’s M23 rebels declare ceasefire but shelling continues
RUNYONI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Congo’s M23 rebels declared a ceasefire on Sunday after a string of defeats by government forces, but clashes with the Congolese army continued in the steep, forested hills to where the rebels have with…
Israel issues tenders for more settler homes ahead of Kerry visit
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel issued tenders for construction of more than 1,700 new homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, moving ahead with projects opposed by the United States and others ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of …
Scores missing after boat sinks off Myanmar coast
YANGON (Reuters) – Around 50 members of a Muslim minority in Myanmar are feared drowned after trying to flee Rakhine state in a boat that sank in the early hours of Sunday, according to a community leader and a security official.
Russia’s Putin approves tougher anti-terrorism laws as Sochi games loom
MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin has signed off on tougher anti-terrorism laws ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics that could oblige relatives to pay for any damage caused by militants fighting a separatist campaign in southern Russia.
Tropical Storm Sonia stronger as it nears Mexico’s Pacific coast
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Sonia gained strength as it took aim at the Pacific coast of Mexico on Sunday, threatening intense rains over a large portion of western Mexico that has already experienced major flooding over the past couple of m…
Greek retail workers protest Sunday shopping rules
ATHENS (Reuters) – Retail workers protested in Athens against a relaxation of rules restricting the number of Sundays a year when shops can open, a reform demanded by Greece’s foreign lenders which aims to make its recession-hit economy more flexible.
Hackers deface dozens of websites in Australia, Philippines
MANILA/JAKARTA (Reuters) – Hackers claiming links to international activist group Anonymous defaced dozens of websites belonging to Australian businesses and Philippine government agencies on Sunday.
