Berlusconi lawyers ask supreme court to acquit him of tax fraud
ROME (Reuters) – Lawyers for Silvio Berlusconi asked the supreme court on Wednesday to throw out a tax fraud conviction against the former prime minister in a case that could decide not only his future but that of Italy’s fragile coalition government.
Britain says open to talks with Iran on a ‘step-by-step’ basis
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Wednesday he was willing to meet his Iranian counterpart to discuss the two countries’ frosty relationship, following the election of a new president in Iran.
Al Qaeda militants killed in drone strike in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A drone strike in Pakistan this week killed three al Qaeda operatives who ran a training camp in neighboring Afghanistan to prepare militants for attacks including this week’s jail break in Pakistan, a Taliban commander said on We…
U.S. State Department urges Egypt to respect right peaceful assembly
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department urged Egypt’s interim government on Wednesday to respect the right of peaceful assembly, after Cairo’s new leaders said vigils by supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi threatened national securit…
Secretary of State Kerry in Pakistan on unannounced visit
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Pakistan late on Wednesday for a day of talks aimed at easing tensions over U.S. drone strikes while putting pressure on the nuclear armed nation to do more to eliminate militant havens…
Kazakh oligarch Ablyazov arrested in France: sources
LONDON/CANNES, France (Reuters) – Mukhtar Ablyazov, a Kazakh businessman accused of embezzling $6 billion from his former bank BTA, has been arrested near Cannes in southern France and is being held by police, sources familiar with the situation said.
Brazil invests in Sao Paulo bus services that set off protests
BRASILIA (Reuters) – President Dilma Rousseff moved quickly on Wednesday to improve bus services in Brazil’s largest city, Sao Paulo, where protests over a fare increase in June triggered an outburst of national discontent that battered her popularity….
In Tunisian protest square, barriers reflect deeper divide
TUNIS (Reuters) – The red Tunisian flags they wave are the same, but the divide between opposition and pro-government protesters in the capital’s main square is much wider than the 150-metre gap between barriers put there to separate them.
Mexican President Pena Nieto has successful thyroid surgery
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto successfully underwent surgery on Wednesday to remove a benign nodule on his thyroid gland, his chief of staff said.
Turkish police fire teargas to disperse hundreds in Istanbul
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish police fired teargas in Istanbul on Wednesday to disperse several hundred people protesting against the police crackdown on last month’s anti-government demonstrations, local media reported.
