Syria’s Assad exempts reservists from loan payments to aid morale
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has exempted thousands of army reservists called up during the civil war from paying debt installments and late fines during their service, the state news agency SANA said on Wednesday.
Syrian monitoring group says rebels kill Italian Jesuit priest
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Al-Qaeda-linked rebels in Syria have killed an Italian Jesuit priest who disappeared in the east of the country late last month, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Turkish president says Egypt crackdown ‘completely unacceptable’
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday an armed intervention by Egyptian security forces against protesters in Cairo supporting ousted president Mohamed Mursi was “completely unacceptable”.
Egypt government urges Mursi supporters to ‘listen to reason’
CAIRO (Reuters) – The Egyptian government urged supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi to “listen to the voice of reason” and halt violence on Wednesday, praising the security forces for showing self restraint while breaking up their protest cam…
Afghan peace negotiator doubtful of new Doha talks with Taliban
KABUL (Reuters) – The resumption of peace talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan in Qatar has become increasingly unlikely with fresh talks in Turkey or Saudi Arabia a more realistic option, a senior Afghan peace negotiator said on Wednesday.
Renewed cross-border shelling as Pakistan, India trade blame
ISLAMABAD/SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) – Pakistan and India accused each other of provoking violence on their troubled Kashmir frontier on Wednesday as a week of cross-border shelling threatened to derail attempts to resume peace talks between the nuclear…
Nigeria army says killed two Boko Haram commanders
YOLA, Nigeria (Reuters) – Nigerian soldiers killed two top commanders of the Islamist sect Boko Haram during a four-hour gun battle in northeast Adamawa state, the military said on Wednesday.
EU calls for restraint from Egyptian authorities
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union said on Wednesday that reports that protesters had been killed in a security force crackdown were “extremely worrying” and called for restraint from Egyptian authorities.
Indonesian anti-graft agency arrests head of energy regulator
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s anti-graft agency on Wednesday arrested the head of the energy regulator to probe allegations he took more than half a million dollars from an oil firm, piling more uncertainty on energy policy in Southeast Asia’s bigges…
Pro-Mursi protesters clash with Egyptian police in Minya, Assiut
CAIRO (Reuters) – Supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi clashed with security forces on Wednesday in the Egyptian cities of Minya and Assiut, security sources said.
