Russia eyes amnesty for economic crime – but selectively
ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) – Thousands of Russian entrepreneurs jailed for economic crimes could be a step closer to freedom after President Vladimir Putin said on Friday a draft amnesty bill was ready and may be taken up by parliament before its summer b…
Germany, Turkey summon envoys in row over protests, EU
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany and Turkey summoned each other’s ambassadors on Friday for tit-for-tat reproaches in an escalating row over Chancellor Angela Merkel’s criticism of a crackdown on protesters in Turkey and her reluctance to see the country joi…
Rwandan opposition group seeks registration, political freedoms
KIGALI (Reuters) – Hundreds of opposition supporters packed a hall in the Rwandan capital on Friday saying they were determined to register their party after what the group has said was years of obstruction by the government of President Paul Kagame.
World Bank to help Bangladeshis prepare for migrant work abroad
DHAKA (Reuters) – The World Bank signed a $2.58 million deal with Bangladesh’s biggest non-governmental agency on Friday to help improve prospects for Bangladeshis intending to migrate abroad for work.
Ten dead, 20 missing as boat sinks off Gabon
LIBREVILLE (Reuters) – Ten people drowned and another 20 remain unaccounted for after a boat carrying West African clandestine migrants sank off the coast of Gabon, a police official said on Friday.
Serbian priest who beat addict to death jailed for 20 years
BELGRADE (Reuters) – A Serbian priest was jailed for 20 years on Friday for beating to death a drug addict in his care, his lawyer said, in the latest blow to the reputation of Serbia’s influential Orthodox Church.
Germany, Turkey summon envoys in row over protests, EU
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany and Turkey summoned each other’s ambassadors on Friday for tit-for-tat reproaches in an escalating row over Chancellor Angela Merkel’s criticism of a crackdown on protesters in Turkey and her reluctance to see the country joi…
Greek party quits coalition over state TV debacle
ATHENS (Reuters) – The smallest party in Greece’s ruling coalition pulled out of the government on Friday after a row over the abrupt closure of the state broadcaster, leaving Prime Minister Antonis Samaras with a tiny majority in parliament.
Guard kills Israeli at Jewish holy site in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – An Israeli security guard shot dead a fellow-Israeli on Friday at one of Judaism’s holiest sites, saying later he feared the man was a Palestinian militant because he had shouted “Allahu akbar” (“God is greatest” in Arabic), polic…
In Turkey’s pious heartland, protests seem world away
KONYA, Turkey (Reuters) – “This Nation Is With You” declares a small billboard in the center of this conservative central Turkish city, the words emblazoned on an image of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and a sea of his flag-waving supporters.
