Libyan militiamen briefly block entrance to central bank
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Dozens of Libyan militiamen briefly blocked the entrance to the central bank on Thursday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, witnesses and a central bank official said.
Analysis: Struggle for resources at root of Central Africa religious violence
BANGUI (Reuters) – Mariam watched in horror as militiamen burst through the gate of her home in Central African Republic’s capital Bangui and demanded her husband say whether he was Muslim. When he said yes, they shot him dead.
Russia says Arafat died of natural causes
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Thursday that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died of natural causes, not radiation poisoning, but the Palestinian ambassador to Moscow said an investigation would continue, Russian news agencies reported.
Truce in besieged Damascus suburb may bring food to starving residents
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian government forces and rebel fighters in a besieged Damascus suburb have agreed to a 48-hour truce that could result in food being allowed in for residents threatened with starvation, activists said on Thursday.
Bangladesh troops sent out to try to stem election violence
DHAKA (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of troops fanned out across Bangladesh on Thursday in a bid to stem political violence ahead of next month’s elections, which the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has boycotted.
Russia bets on sweeping reform to revive ailing space industry
BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (Reuters) – From rocket-shaped playground equipment to faded murals of cosmonauts, mementos of the heyday of Soviet space exploration are scattered around this sandswept town that launched Yuri Gagarin into orbit in 1961.
Question over purged China leader’s remains as widow dies
BEIJING (Reuters) – The widow of late Chinese Communist Party chief Zhao Ziyang, toppled for opposing the 1989 crackdown on democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, died this week, the family said, leaving a question over what will happen to his unbur…
China to triple compensation for parents losing only child
BEIJING (Reuters) – China is to more than triple the amount of compensation that some parents get if their only child dies, the health and family planning agency said on Thursday, in the latest sign of a more lenient stand on an uncompromising populati…
If U.S. troops leave Afghanistan, much civilian aid may go too
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – For years, U.S. officials have pointed to the improvements in the everyday lives of Afghans made possible by billions of dollars in aid from the United States and elsewhere.
China celebrates Mao’s birthday, but events scaled back
BEIJING (Reuters) – China celebrated the 120th birthday of Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China, on Thursday, but with scaled-back festivities as President Xi Jinping embarks on broad economic reforms which have unsettled leftists.
