Mali counts votes, cheered by high turnout in presidential race
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Mali cheered the robust turnout and lack of violence in its high-stakes election on Monday as proof Malians were eager to turn the page on more than a year of turmoil, war and an army coup.
Islamist party office attacked as Libya violence surges
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Assailants attacked an Islamist party office in Tripoli and a soldier was killed in fighting in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi, officials said, in a wave of unrest since the killing of a political activist last week.
Italian government’s fate hangs on Berlusconi court ruling
ROME (Reuters) – The fate of Italy’s fragile government hangs on a ruling by the supreme court, which meets on Tuesday to decide whether to uphold a tax fraud conviction against former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
For Palestinians, Israelis new peace talks offer little hope
JERUSALEM/GAZA (Reuters) – When Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators break bread at a Muslim feast in Washington on Monday, it will be a diplomatic breakthrough of sorts after almost three years of deadlock.
Party in Tunisian ruling coalition demands new government
TUNIS (Reuters) – A secular party in Tunisia’s ruling Islamist-led coalition demanded a unity government on Monday to defuse a deepening political crisis, hours after the army sealed a square in the capital where protesters had clashed.
Wave of car bombings target Iraqi Shi’ites, killing 60
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Car bombs ripped through busy streets and markets in Iraq on Monday, killing at least 60 people in predominantly Shi’ite areas in some of the deadliest violence since Sunni insurgents stepped up attacks this year.
Kuwait’s emir reappoints PM after election
KUWAIT (Reuters) – Kuwait’s ruler reappointed Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah as prime minister after Saturday’s election in the Gulf state and asked him to form a new cabinet, state news agency KUNA said on Monday.
Protests in Rome as Nazi war criminal celebrates 100th birthday
ROME (Reuters) – Dozens of demonstrators, including members of Rome’s Jewish community, protested outside the apartment building where the former SS officer responsible for one of Italy’s worst wartime massacres celebrated his 100th birthday on Monday….
Egypt’s new top general stirs echoes of Nasser
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s army is recasting the country’s political drama, giving a popular general the starring role in a change with echoes of the past that could undermine democracy in the Arab world.
Afghan women’s rights at risk in peace process: U.N. watchdog
GENEVA (Reuters) – Women’s rights in Afghanistan risk being further undermined in the fragile country’s peace process due to entrenched patriarchal attitudes, a United Nations watchdog warned on Monday.
