EU to open new area of membership talks with Turkey on November 5
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union governments agreed on Tuesday to hold a new round of accession talks with Turkey on November 5 after Germany dropped its opposition voiced after Ankara’s crackdown on anti-government protests earlier this year.
Tibetan activists held after scaling U.N. to protest China record
GENEVA (Reuters) – Activists protesting against China’s rule over Tibet were being held after scaling scaffolding on the U.N. European headquarters in Geneva on Tuesday and unfurling a banner before a session examining China’s human rights record.
Oil kingdom Brunei to introduce sharia criminal law
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) – Oil-rich Brunei will enforce sharia criminal law next year, the Islamic kingdom’s sultan announced on Tuesday, with possible punishments including stoning to death for adultery and flogging for drinking alcohol.
Israeli forces kill Palestinian militant in West Bank shootout
BILIN, West Bank (Reuters) – Israeli forces on Tuesday killed an armed Palestinian militant wanted for his alleged involvement in a Tel Aviv bus bombing last year, Israel’s Shin Bet security service said.
Britain urges all Syrian opposition to join peace talks
LONDON (Reuters) – British Foreign Secretary William Hague said it was vital that all elements of Syria’s opposition join peace talks tentatively scheduled for Geneva next month if there was to be an end to the 31-month-old conflict.
Kurdish rebels threaten new fight in Turkey as Syria clashes intensify
QANDIL MOUNTAINS, Iraq (Reuters) – Kurdish rebels are ready to re-enter Turkey from northern Iraq, the head of the group’s political wing said at his mountain hideout, threatening to rekindle an insurgency unless Ankara resuscitates their peace process…
Without chemical arms, Syrian weaponry still fearsome
LONDON (Reuters) – On Sunday, September 29, President Bashar al-Assad declared to the world, via an interview on Italian television, his resolve to clear Syria of chemical weapons – accepting a Russian-brokered deal to avert punitive U.S. action.
China says Tibet policy ‘correct’, no turning back
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has no intention of altering its “correct” policies in the restive region of Tibet as they have brought unprecedented achievements, a government white paper said on Tuesday, slamming the romanticized notion Tibet was once an i…
Insight: Ireland’s bailout report: Good, now fix public debt
DUBLIN (Reuters) – At the height of the euro zone’s debt crisis in July 2011, Ireland’s bailout looked doomed. Its credit rating had been cut to junk and borrowing costs hiked to an eye-watering 15 percent.
Afghan businessman accused of channeling aid money to insurgency
KABUL (Reuters) – U.S. inspectors are on the trail of a successful Afghan businessman they believe has channeled millions of dollars in aid to the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, one of the deadliest insurgent groups in Afghanistan, but still has dono…
