Egypt moderates under fire from Mubarak loyalists, Islamists
CAIRO (Reuters) – A leading Egyptian social democrat fears the elite that thrived under former President Hosni Mubarak will once again dominate politics in elections promised by the army after it overthrew Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.
Adulterers may be stoned under new Afghan law, official says
KABUL (Reuters) – Death by stoning for convicted adulterers is being written into Afghan law, a senior official said on Monday, the latest sign that human rights won at great cost since the Taliban were ousted in 2001 are rolling back as foreign troops…
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait tighten controls on clerics
DUBAI/KUWAIT (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been quietly reining in their clerics on concerns that preachers could use their influence to stir up trouble and inflame sectarian divisions at a time of high tension over the crises in Syria and E…
U.N. official says Malaysia should reverse ‘Allah’ ban
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia should reverse a ban on a Christian newspaper using the word “Allah” to refer to God, a U.N. official said on Monday about a decision that fanned religious tension in the mainly Muslim country.
Major Indonesia Golkar party clings to unpopular presidential candidate
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s second biggest political party has stood behind its candidate for next year’s presidential election despite fears among some members that the controversial tycoon was far too unpopular among voters to stand any chance of…
Italy government to call confidence vote over budget: minister
ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s fragile coalition government will call a confidence vote to pass the 2014 budget law in the Senate this week, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dario Franceschini said on Monday.
U.S. role in typhoon relief boosts new military deal with Manila
MANILA (Reuters) – Emergency relief provided by U.S. troops in areas devastated by typhoon Haiyan in the central Philippines makes a strong case for the two allies to clinch a new military accord, Manila’s foreign minister said on Monday.
Insight: Weak at home, France seeks grandeur abroad
PARIS (Reuters) – The hero of France’s top movie comedy of the moment is a French foreign minister who complains about American isolationism and says the Germans must be humored – but above all kept off the U.N. Security Council.
U.N. nuclear agency begins review of Japan’s Fukushima plant
TOKYO (Reuters) – U.N. nuclear experts arrived in Japan on Monday to assess the decommissioning of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant and the operator’s progress in removing fuel rods from a destroyed reactor building and minimizing leaks of contamina…
Asian airlines to give flight plans to China after airspace zone created
BEIJING/TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian aviation officials said airlines would have to inform China of flight plans before entering airspace over waters disputed with Japan, forcing carriers to acknowledge China’s authority over a newly declared “Air Defense I…
