BASF says closed Egyptian operations amid unrest
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German chemicals group BASF said on Friday it closed its Egyptian operations on Thursday because of the violent political protests in the country.
Muslim Brotherhood calls rallies across Egypt after day of bloodshed
CAIRO (Reuters) – The Muslim Brotherhood defiantly called for a week of protests across Egypt starting on Saturday, a day after more than 100 people died in clashes between Islamists and the security forces that pushed the country ever closer to anarch…
Freezing U.S. aid to Egypt would not be easy or cost-free
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Some U.S. lawmakers are calling for the Obama administration to shut off aid to Egypt in the aftermath of the army’s lethal crackdown on protesters. But untangling the aid relationship with Cairo would not be simple and could be …
Tunisian labor leader rejects parallels with Egypt
TUNIS (Reuters) – Hussein Abassi doesn’t like it when his Tunisian trade union federation is compared to the Egyptian army and he is likened to a general who can make or break a government.
Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline bombed: officials
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A bomb attack halted the flow of crude oil through a pipeline running from Iraq’s Kirkuk oil fields to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in Turkey, two Iraqi oil officials said on Friday.
Seventeen dead, hundreds rescued after ferry sinks in Philippines
MANILA (Reuters) – At least 17 people were killed but hundreds were rescued after a passenger ferry sank following a collision with a cargo vessel in the central Philippines, a coastguard commander said.
Zimbabwe’s MDC drops court challenge to Mugabe re-election
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC withdrew a court challenge against President Robert Mugabe’s re-election through a vote the party had denounced as fraudulent, saying on Friday it would not get a fair hearing.
Norway’s opposition widens poll lead weeks before election
OSLO (Reuters) – Norway’s center-right opposition pulled further ahead of the Labor-led government with just weeks to go before elections on September 9, a poll showed on Friday, putting the Conservatives and their allies on course for a landslide vict…
Pistorius to face new weapons charges in South African court: media
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius will face new charges of recklessly discharging a weapon in public when he appears in a South African court next week accused of murdering his girlfriend, local media reported on Friday….
Travel firms cancel holidays as violence grips Egypt
FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) – Violence sweeping Egypt hit the nation’s tourism industry on Friday as European governments warned holidaymakers to stay away from its Red Sea resorts, prompting some travel agents to stop all trips to Egypt.