Kurdish rebels, politicians say Turkish reforms not aimed at peace
ANKARA (Reuters) – Kurdish militants and politicians dismissed on Tuesday a set of political reforms proposed by Turkey’s ruling AK Party, saying they were not meant to end a 29-year conflict with the state and that the insurgents would present their r…
Iran president’s phone call with Obama stirs hardline suspicions
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s historic phone call with U.S. President Barack Obama is likely to provoke resistance from powerful hardliners in the Islamic Republic who have built their support on enmity with the West.
World Bank pledges more funds for poor in troubled states
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – World Bank President Jim Yong Kim pledged to increase funding for poor people living in states in or close to conflict as part of a new lending strategy for the global development bank and warned of the impact of U.S. fiscal unce…
EU’s Ashton to push for reconciliation on Egypt trip
CAIRO (Reuters) – European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton will encourage Egypt’s army-backed government and the Muslim Brotherhood to pursue reconciliation during talks this week, a European diplomatic source said.
Kenya tells Somalia ‘put house in order’ after mall attack
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya’s president told Somalia’s leaders on Tuesday to “put their house in order”, in a sign of frustration at the festering instability in the neighboring country after members of a Somali militant group attacked a Nairobi shopping…
Egypt halts tourism with Iran, cites security concerns
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt halted tourism activities with Iran on Tuesday citing security concerns, a Tourism Ministry spokeswoman said, further distancing itself from Tehran after former Islamist President Mohamed Mursi tried to improve ties.
Insight: Saudi Arabia boosts Salafist rivals to al Qaeda in Syria
AMMAN (Reuters) – Alarmed by the rise of al Qaeda in Syria, Saudi Arabia is trying to strengthen rival Islamists with ties to Riyadh and this week helped engineer a consolidation of rebel groups around Damascus under a Saudi-backed leader.
Bosnia holds first census since war, reviving divisions
SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Bosnia launched its first census as an independent state on Tuesday, a politically charged event that has revived ethnic rifts and could shake the delicate power-sharing system that helped end the country’s 1992-95 war.
Egypt court to hear appeal against Brotherhood ban on October 22
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian court will hear an appeal on October 22 against its decision to ban deposed president Mohamed Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood group and seize its funds, court sources said.
Hungary pledges it won’t tolerate anti-Semitism
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary will use all political and legal tools available to crack down on resurgent anti-Semitism in the country, the deputy prime minister said on Tuesday, in one of the government’s boldest statements yet on the issue.
