Little sign of economic stress in North Korea’s well-swept capital
PYONGYANG (Reuters) – North Korea’s economy is believed to be virtually lifeless after decades of mismanagement, isolation and sanctions aimed at foiling its nuclear ambitions but its showcase capital, Pyongyang, shows no hint of calamity.
Liberals, smaller tribes win seats in Kuwait vote after boycott
KUWAIT (Reuters) – Liberals and candidates from some of Kuwait’s more marginalized tribes have won seats in a parliament which may prove more cooperative with the ruling family after opposition Islamists and populists boycotted the election.
Police clash with protesters in Tunisia’s Sidi Bouzid
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisian police fired teargas late on Saturday to disperse violent protests in the southern town of Sidi Bouzid, cradle of the country’s revolution and hometown of slain secular opposition figure Mohamed Brahmi, witnesses said.
Drone strike kills four militants in Yemen: residents
DUBAI (Reuters) – Rockets fired from unmanned aircraft killed at least four suspected Islamist militants in southern Yemen late on Saturday, residents said.
Suicide bomber kills eight Kurdish security forces personnel in Iraq
TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) – A suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives blew himself up near a Kurdish security forces patrol killing at least eight of them early on Sunday, police said.
Germany’s Schaeuble set to stay center stage in euro crisis
BERLIN (Reuters) – Two years ago, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was on the point of giving up his role as iron fist in the euro zone debt crisis, but the 70-year-old champion of closer European integration now seems likely to remain on Eur…
Insight: The poison pill in India’s search for cheap food
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Nearly a decade ago, the Indian government ruled out a ban on the production and use of monocrotophos, the highly toxic pesticide that killed 23 children this month in a village school providing free lunches under a governm…
Business booms for asylum middlemen in Afghan exodus
KABUL (Reuters) – In a brightly lit travel agency in a gloomy Kabul mall, business is booming for Naser Gulzad. But all he can think about is shutting up shop and following his customers out of Afghanistan.
Mali scrambles to be ready for Sunday’s ‘fresh start’ vote
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Malian election officials scrambled to distribute voting material for an election on Sunday intended to provide a fresh start to a country divided by a coup and a war in its desert north.
Canadian, jailed in Mauritania for terror link, reported back home
OTTAWA/NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) – A Canadian man jailed for “terrorist conspiracy” in the west African nation of Mauritania arrived back in Canada under police escort on Friday after his sentence was cut on appeal, Canadian television said.
