Afghan election campaign stirs both violence and hope
KABUL (Reuters) – Presidential candidates in Afghanistan begin two months of campaigning on Sunday for an election that Western allies hope will consolidate fragile stability as their forces prepare to leave after nearly 13 years of inconclusive war.
Ex-rebel faces gang-fighting conservative in El Salvador vote
SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – A former guerrilla commander vies to keep his left-wing party in power in El Salvador’s presidential election on Sunday, but he faces a strong challenge from a right-leaning rival who wants to use the army to battle powerful st…
Scandals, inequality loom large as Costa Rica votes for new leader
SAN JOSE (Reuters) – Costa Rica’s centrist ruling party front-runner seeks to fend off a leftist surge fueled by voter resentment over government corruption scandals and rising inequality as voters in Central America’s second-largest economy head to th…
U.S. denies it sought direct negotiations with Syria in Geneva
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Washington denied claims by Syria’s foreign minister on Saturday that American diplomats had sought to negotiate directly with their Syrian counterparts at last week’s ‘Geneva 2’ peace conference in Switzerland.
China says Japan’s ‘hype’ on air defence zone spreads tension
BEIJING (Reuters) – China does not feel threatened by countries in Southeast Asia and is optimistic about the situation in the disputed South China Sea, the Foreign Ministry said, warning Japan not to “spread rumors” it plans a new air defense identifi…
Video shows beheading of man in Syria by al Qaeda rebels
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Rebels in Syria with ties to al Qaeda have decapitated a man believed to have been a pro-government Shi’ite fighter, an amateur video of the public beheading posted to the Internet on Saturday showed.
U.S. denies it sought direct negotiations with Syria in Geneva
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Washington denied claims by Syria’s foreign minister on Saturday that American diplomats had sought to negotiate directly with their Syrian counterparts at last week’s ‘Geneva 2’ peace conference in Switzerland.
Video shows beheading of man in Syria by al Qaeda rebels
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Rebels in Syria with ties to al Qaeda have decapitated a man believed to have been a pro-government Shi’ite fighter, an amateur video of the public beheading posted to the Internet on Saturday showed.
Political paralysis looms as Thais go to polls
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai voters go to the polls under heavy security on Sunday in an election that could push the divided country deeper into political turmoil and leave the winner paralyzed for months by street protests, legal challenges and legislati…
West presses Ukraine, offers treatment to injured activist
KIEV (Reuters) – Western governments pressed Ukraine’s president to compromise with protesters camped on the streets, prompting a war of words with Russia on Saturday and offering treatment to an opposition activist who says he was tortured.
