UAE convicts 30 Emiratis, Egyptians over Brotherhood ties
DUBAI (Reuters) – Thirty Emiratis and Egyptians were convicted of setting up an illegal branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and sentenced to up to five years in jail in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, in a case reflecting the state’s deep mistrust of…
More than 60 deminers briefly seized in mass Afghan kidnapping
KABUL (Reuters) – Unknown gunmen on Tuesday briefly seized more than 60 Afghan workers clearing Soviet-era anti-tank mines in western Herat province, the largest mass kidnapping undertaken in an economically important area now beset by security problem…
Yemen extends Hadi’s presidency by one year, approves federal state
SANAA (Reuters) – Political factions in Yemen extended Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s presidency by one more year and approved a new federal system for the country at a national reconciliation conference that ended on Tuesday, officials said.
Demoted Egyptian editor bemoans lack of press freedom
CAIRO (Reuters) – Journalist Abdelnasser Salama had high hopes for press freedom when Egyptians took to the streets and ended the 30-year rule of president Hosni Mubarak.
Human Rights Watch chides China for failing to push reform
BEIJING (Reuters) – New York-based Human Rights Watch accused China on Tuesday of failing to embark upon political reforms which meet the people’s demands for real change and of pursuing anti-corruption activists despite its declared crackdown on graft…
Russia urges Europe not to interfere in Ukraine, fears growing crisis
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged European governments on Tuesday not to interfere in Ukraine’s political crisis and expressed concern that events in Kiev could be spinning out of control.
Chief minister of India’s capital spends cold night on streets in police protest
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Sleeping on the pavement, conducting official duties from a parked car and calling himself an anarchist in a sit-in protest against the police, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has taken an unconventional approach to governing…
China to start regular patrols from island in South China Sea
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will base a 5,000-tonne civilian patrol ship on one of the main islands it controls in the disputed South China Sea and begin regular patrols, an official newspaper said on Tuesday, a move likely to add fuel to territorial dis…
Japan’s scrambles against Chinese planes soar
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese fighter jets scrambled against Chinese planes a record number of times in April-December, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, as Sino-Japanese ties are strained by an island spat and disputes stemming from Tokyo’s wartime p…
Gunmen kill leading figure of Yemeni Shi’ite group
SANAA (Reuters) – Unknown assailants shot dead a leader of the Yemeni Shi’ite Muslim Houthi group in Sanaa on Tuesday while driving to attend the final session of reconciliation talks aimed at tackling the country’s political and security challenges.
