Myanmar takes long-awaited ASEAN chair, but can it cope?
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (Reuters) – In a room festooned with purple and yellow flowers, Myanmar took a long-coveted role on Thursday as chairman of ASEAN, the regional grouping of Southeast Asia.
Observers call Azerbaijan vote unfair, opposition plans challenge
BAKU (Reuters) – Opponents of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said on Thursday they would go to court to challenge his election to a third term, rejecting the result of a vote that international monitors said was seriously flawed.
Coalition with left could keep Poland’s Tusk in power
WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the leftist opposition could form a coalition after the next election, senior figures from both parties say, a deal that would keep Tusk in power and commit Poland to a timetable for joining the …
Bulgarian government faces second no-confidence vote
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria’s opposition GERB party called on Thursday for a second vote of no-confidence in the Socialist-led government in just eight days, in a move that underscores the political crisis gripping the European Union’s poorest country.
China arrests journalist amid crackdown on rumors
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Chinese investigative journalist who has accused officials of corruption has been arrested, his lawyer said on Thursday, becoming the latest in a series of government critics to be swept up in Beijing’s crackdown on rumors.
Egypt criticizes U.S. decision to halt aid
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt on Thursday criticized the U.S. decision to halt some aid to the army-backed government following a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood that has plunged the country into a violent political crisis.
Former Liberian leader Taylor to serve time in a British jail
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president sentenced to 50 years in prison for crimes against humanity by an international tribunal, will serve his jail term in Britain, the British government said on Thursday.
Former Belgian prime minister Martens dies
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Former Belgian prime minister Wilfried Martens, one of the architects of Belgium’s federal division and a long-time leading figure in the European Parliament, has died at the age of 77.
Azeri election marred by serious shortcomings: observers
BAKU (Reuters) – The vote that handed Azeri President Ilham Aliyev a third term was marred by serious shortcomings and failed to fully meet Azerbaijan’s commitments to genuine and democratic elections, international observers said on Thursday.
Libyan PM Zeidan freed by former rebels: sources
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has been freed by former rebels who seized him from a hotel earlier on Thursday, a security source and a member of Libyan’s national assembly said.
