Hariri murder trial opens in The Hague
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The trial of the four men accused of killing former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri opened in The Hague on Thursday, nine years after the bomb attack in which 21 others also died.
Turk deputy PM says trust in courts key as graft probe continues
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said trust in Turkey’s legal system was essential to it attaining its long-term growth goals, as the government pressed ahead with plans to assert control over the judiciary.
Zimbabwe government workers reject double-digit pay rises
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe government employees have rejected pay increases of up to 27 percent as too small, a union leader said on Thursday, putting more pressure on President Robert Mugabe to deliver on election promises made last year of higher wa…
China detains prominent Uighur scholar for “breaking the law”
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police have detained the country’s most high-profile Uighur academic, an outspoken critic of official policies in the restive far-western region of Xinjiang, on suspicion of “breaking the law”, the government said on Thursda…
Israel shoots down Gaza rockets, responds with air strikes
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted five rockets fired at the city of Ashkelon from the Gaza Strip on Thursday, and the military responded with a series of air strikes on the Hamas-controlled territory.
India’s Rahul Gandhi faces his own tryst with destiny
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – After years in the shadows as a reluctant heir-apparent, India’s Rahul Gandhi is set for his own tryst with destiny, to lead the ruling Congress party in elections due by May that it has only a slim chance of winning.
Chinese inexperience a factor in warships’ near-miss: U.S. admiral
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Chinese operational inexperience and communications difficulties on both sides contributed to a near-collision between the USS Cowpens and a Chinese warship in the South China Sea last month, the head of U.S. forces in the Asia-P…
Iran wants to be at Syria talks but rejects conditions
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Iran wants to take part in next week’s international peace conference on Syria but will not attend if conditions are set for its participation, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday.
British anti-EU party ahead of Conservatives in Europe vote: poll
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives are set to finish behind the anti-EU UK Independence Party in an election to the European Parliament, putting them on course to finish third in a nationwide poll for the first time…
Bahrain crown prince meets opposition on ending political deadlock
MANAMA (Reuters) – Bahrain’s crown prince met the leader of the main Shi’ite Muslim opposition group on Wednesday to try to revive reconciliation talks suspended last week in a setback for efforts to stabilize the U.S.-allied Gulf state.
