Merkel’s conservatives struggle for modern message in German cities
BERLIN (Reuters) – Tall, blond and smartly dressed, Lars Zimmermann is the kind of young man conservative German mothers would like their daughters to bring home to dinner.
Rivals play down China’s overture in S.China Sea, no breakthrough
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) – Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario walked into a regional security forum this week to hear his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi reel off a list of complaints against Manila for stirring tensions over the South Chi…
On trip, Obama brings out the African in the American
DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) – Midway through a three-country trip to Africa and shortly after an emotional tour of his hero Nelson Mandela’s Robben Island prison cell, Barack Obama was greeted by another revered African leader, Desmond Tutu, with the words…
Analysis: For Obama, tricky diplomatic geometry in democratic Egypt
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With Egypt and its democratic experiment at a tipping point, U.S. President Barack Obama finds himself trying to nudge the most populous Arab country’s bitterly divided antagonists toward compromise but finds his influence limite…
Egypt army says ready to die in “final hours”
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s high command said on Wednesday the army was ready to die to defend Egypt’s people against terrorists and fools, in a response to Islamist President Mohamed Mursi that was headlined “The Final Hours”.
Armed group forces closure of Libyan Interior Ministry
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – An armed group forced the closure of Libya’s Interior Ministry on Tuesday, emptying the building of officials before leaving the scene, police said.
Bolivia says Morales’ plane diverted, apparently over Snowden
LA PAZ (Reuters) – Bolivia said President Evo Morales’ plane was forced to land in Austria on Tuesday after France and Portugal refused air permits, apparently because they suspected it was carrying Edward Snowden, the former U.S. spy agency contractor…
Brazilian lawmaker withdraws ‘gay cure’ bill before vote
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – João Campos, the Brazilian lawmaker who drafted legislation that would allow psychiatrists in Latin America’s largest country to treat homosexuality as a disease, asked that the bill be withdrawn on Tuesday, according to a congressional website.
Nearly 50 killed in Iraq bombings
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – At least 45 people were killed in bomb attacks across Iraq on Tuesday, most of them in busy markets and commercial areas of the capital Baghdad, police and medics said.
Egypt’s Mursi defies army as it plots future without him
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi vowed to stay in power and defend constitutional legitimacy on Wednesday as generals worked on plans to push the Islamist aside within the day and suspend the constitution.
