Libyan government takes back ministry from armed group
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – The Libyan government has taken back control of its interior ministry from an armed group that had besieged the building for a week, an official said on Wednesday.
Merkel defends NSA cooperation before minister flies to U.S.
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended Germany’s cooperation with U.S. intelligence, dismissing comparisons of its techniques to those used in communist East Germany in an attempt to ease tensions a day before talks on the thorny issu…
German campaign plans would cost jobs, growth: institute
BERLIN (Reuters) – A pro-free market German economic institute criticized nearly all of the major parties in Germany on Wednesday for election pledges it said were likely to cost jobs and weaken growth in Europe’s largest economy.
Nigeria forces disperse rival youth factions in oil city
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) – Nigerian security forces fired tear gas on Wednesday to prevent hundreds of youths loyal to President Goodluck Jonathan and to his bitter rival, Rivers state governor Rotimi Amaechi, clashing in the main oil hub of Po…
Former South African leader to be named head of UN Women -diplomats
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Former South African deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has been tapped to head gender equality body U.N. Women, diplomats said on Wednesday, replacing former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, who stepped down to purs…
U.N. rights body poses tough questions to Vatican over child abuse
GENEVA (Reuters) – A United Nations human rights panel has posed a list of tough questions to the Vatican about child abuse by Catholic priests, a potential embarrassment for Pope Francis a few months into his papacy.
Russian protest leader Navalny briefly detained
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian police briefly detained anti-graft blogger Alexei Navalny on Wednesday after the prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin submitted documents to register as a candidate for the Moscow mayor election in September.
Ramadan in Damascus more festive this year but prices soar
(The name of the reporter has been withheld for security reasons)
Turkey curbs power of architect group involved in protests
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party moved on Wednesday to curb the power of an architects’ group involved in weeks of fierce anti-government protests, prompting opposition charges that he is waging a vendetta against p…
Insight: Events in Egypt may influence, won’t define Syria war
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has put a new spring in the step of Bashar al-Assad, who sees it as a sign that Islamists – including those spearheading the Sunni-dominated rebellion against him – are in decline.
