Bangladesh to hold election on January 5, opposition likely to object
DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh will hold a general election on January 5, the Election Commission said on Monday, in an announcement likely to anger the opposition which is demanding a neutral caretaker government to oversee the polls.
Parents guilty of killing daughter in case that captivated India
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – An Indian court on Monday found a dentist couple guilty of murdering their 14-year-old daughter and a servant five years ago, in a dramatic finale to a case that transfixed the country and tapped unease on both sides of the rich-p…
Egypt to hold constitutional referendum in January: PM
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi said on Monday he expects a referendum on the constitution now being drafted to take place in January, not next month as previously expected.
Egypt moderates under fire from Mubarak loyalists, Islamists
CAIRO (Reuters) – A leading Egyptian social democrat fears the elite that thrived under former President Hosni Mubarak will once again dominate politics in elections promised by the army after it overthrew Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.
Adulterers may be stoned under new Afghan law, official says
KABUL (Reuters) – Death by stoning for convicted adulterers is being written into Afghan law, a senior official said on Monday, the latest sign that human rights won at great cost since the Taliban were ousted in 2001 are rolling back as foreign troops…
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait tighten controls on clerics
DUBAI/KUWAIT (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been quietly reining in their clerics on concerns that preachers could use their influence to stir up trouble and inflame sectarian divisions at a time of high tension over the crises in Syria and E…
U.N. official says Malaysia should reverse ‘Allah’ ban
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia should reverse a ban on a Christian newspaper using the word “Allah” to refer to God, a U.N. official said on Monday about a decision that fanned religious tension in the mainly Muslim country.
Major Indonesia Golkar party clings to unpopular presidential candidate
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s second biggest political party has stood behind its candidate for next year’s presidential election despite fears among some members that the controversial tycoon was far too unpopular among voters to stand any chance of…
Italy government to call confidence vote over budget: minister
ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s fragile coalition government will call a confidence vote to pass the 2014 budget law in the Senate this week, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dario Franceschini said on Monday.
U.S. role in typhoon relief boosts new military deal with Manila
MANILA (Reuters) – Emergency relief provided by U.S. troops in areas devastated by typhoon Haiyan in the central Philippines makes a strong case for the two allies to clinch a new military accord, Manila’s foreign minister said on Monday.
