Assad says Turkey will pay heavily for backing Syrian rebels
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has told Turkey it will pay a heavy price for backing rebels fighting to oust him, accusing it of harboring “terrorists” along its border who would soon turn against their hosts.
Gunmen kill Kenyan Muslim cleric, unrest feared
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) – Gunmen in Kenya shot dead a popular Muslim cleric who preached at a mosque linked in the past to Somali Islamist militants, police said on Friday, raising tensions in the port city of Mombasa.
British police probing phone records in missing McCann case
LONDON (Reuters) – British police said on Friday they were looking at new cell phone data to advance their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann who vanished from a resort in Portugal six years ago.
Latest Myanmar violence blamed on religious and ethnic extremists
THANDWE, Myanmar (Reuters) – The Buddhist mob mutilated and burned Khin Naing so severely his son couldn’t recognise the body, one of series of attacks that suggest a resurgence of a monk-led movement in Myanmar accused of stoking violence against Musl…
China elevates Malaysia ties, aims to triple trade by 2017
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – China and Malaysia agreed on Friday to elevate bilateral ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, aiming to boost military cooperation and nearly triple two-way trade to $160 billion by 2017.
Venezuela’s Maduro stuck in shadow of ‘El Comandante’ Chavez
CIUDAD CARIBIA, Venezuela (Reuters) – Hovering over a sun-baked mountain one day in his presidential helicopter, Hugo Chavez had a dream: to build a utopian city that would showcase socialism in Venezuela.
Brazil electoral court rejects new opposition party
BRASILIA (Reuters) – In a decision that could boost President Dilma Rousseff’s chances of re-election next year, Brazil’s electoral court ruled on Thursday that her main potential rival failed to gather enough signatures to register her new party in ti…
Italian Senate committee likely to start Berlusconi expulsion process
ROME (Reuters) – An Italian Senate committee is likely to start a process on Friday to expel Silvio Berlusconi from parliament following his conviction for tax fraud, meaning the former prime minister’s fate could be sealed within weeks.
In Malaysia, Mahathir’s rising son signals conservative shift
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – The chief minister of the rural Malaysian state of Kedah has a familiar face, even if he lacks the charisma, provocative rhetoric and razor-sharp political skills of his famous father.
U.S. allows non-emergency personnel to return to Beirut embassy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department said Thursday that its non-emergency staff could return to work at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which was evacuated last month because of potential security threats.
