Kurdish militants say Turkey’s rights reforms not aimed at peace
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said on Tuesday Turkey’s proposals to expand human rights were not aimed at ending the conflict with Kurdish insurgents and that its armed wing would issue a declaration next week setting out its …
South Korea shows off new missiles designed to hit North
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea showed off on Tuesday new missiles designed to target North Korea’s artillery and long-range missiles and vowed to boost deterrence against its unpredictable neighbor.
Conservative holdout puts Austria coalition in question after vote
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austria’s government formally resigned on Tuesday but will stay on in a caretaker role as wary conservatives consider whether to renew a coalition with the center-left after they suffered big losses to the far right at weekend electi…
Myanmar security forces battle to quell deadly sectarian unrest
YANGON (Reuters) – Security forces raced to contain deadly violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state on Tuesday, police said, after mobs torched Muslim homes and Buddhist villagers were attacked in a third day of unrest in a region plagued by intractable sec…
Bahrain says opposition activists spied for Iran
DUBAI (Reuters) – Some of the 50 people jailed in Bahrain on Sunday for security offences were also convicted of spying for Iran and had planned “vandalism and rioting” with the backing of the Islamic Republic, the Bahraini government said.
Berlusconi party hardliner offers to take back seat to save party
ROME (Reuters) – One of Italian center-right leader Silvio Berlusconi’s most prominent hardline advisers, Daniela Santanche, offered on Tuesday to take a back seat to preserve party unity and safeguard Berlusconi’s leadership.
As reform talks start, Pope vows to change Vatican mentality
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis began landmark meetings on Tuesday to reform the Vatican, promising to do all he could to change the mentality of an institution he said was too focused on its own interests.
Obama’s bold trade plan faces resistance on Asia trip
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim haven’t agreed on much, if anything, in the 15 years since the latter was ousted from Mahathir’s government and then jailed on sodomy and cor…
Azeri leader cracking down on foes before poll: rights group
TBILISI (Reuters) – Azerbaijan has arrested dozens of President Ilham Aliyev’s opponents in a pre-election crackdown that has more than doubled the number of political prisoners in the former Soviet republic, a rights watchdog said on Tuesday.
In move to transparency, Vatican bank issues first report
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The Vatican bank, dogged for decades by scandals and opaque dealings, published the first annual report in its 125-year history on Tuesday.
