Nigeria’s Jonathan told not to stand in 2015 by mentor Obasanjo
* Former leader says Jonathan promised not to seek 2nd term
S.Korea’s KAI sells fighter jets worth $1.1 billion to Iraq
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean defense contractor Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd (KAI) has signed a deal with Iraq to export 24 light fighter jets valued at $1.1 billion, the company said on Thursday.
Egyptian police fire tear gas and water cannon on protesters
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian riot police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of pro-Islamist protesters demonstrating near the headquarters of the ministry of defense in Cairo on Thursday, security sources said.
U.S. begins air lifting Burundian troops to Central African Republic
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – The United States began air lifting Burundian troops to Central African Republic on Thursday, part of efforts to help African and French forces prevent a descent into civil war, Burundi’s army said.
Bangladesh court clears the way for Islamist’s execution
DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the execution of an Islamist opposition leader, sparking violent protests by his supporters less than a month before elections are due to be held.
Russia is a force for moral good but no superpower: Putin
MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin, in a thinly veiled criticism of the United States, portrayed Russia on Thursday as a force for peace and morality that had no desire to be a global superpower.
Nigeria largely ignores sectarian violence: Human Rights Watch
ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigerian authorities have largely ignored sectarian clashes in the nation’s religiously mixed central region that have killed 3,000 people since 2010, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.
Slovak premier seeks release of paragliders in Tehran
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Slovak Prime Minster Robert Fico has flown to Iran to negotiate the release of two Slovak paragliders, the government in Bratislava said on Thursday.
Berlusconi says arresting him would incite revolution in Italy
PARIS (Reuters) – Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who lost parliamentary immunity when he was expelled from the Senate last month, said on Thursday revolution would break out if he were arrested and thrown in prison.
Blast near U.S. embassy in Kabul was accident, Afghan official says
KABUL (Reuters) – An accidental detonation of explosives stored in an Afghan facility beside the U.S. embassy in Kabul sparked a brief panic early on Thursday, triggering concerns of an attack, but no immediate reports of casualties.
