Syria’s Assad may cling on, Britain will not arm rebels: sources
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain has abandoned plans to arm Syrian rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and believes he might survive in office for years, sources familiar with government thinking say.
Palestinians defer decision on renewing peace talks: official
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Palestinian leaders on Thursday put off a decision about restarting peace talks with Israel, with most saying Israel must first meet their terms before negotiations can start, a Palestinian official said.
Egypt risks civil war if Islamists shut out of power: AU
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Egypt risks being engulfed in a civil war unless its newly installed interim government is expanded to include Islamists, the African Union warned on Thursday.
Zimbabwe election ‘not looking good’, South Africa says
PRETORIA (Reuters) – A top South African diplomat said on Thursday that preparations for an election in Zimbabwe at the end of the month were “not looking good”, unusually strong criticism of President Robert Mugabe from his powerful neighbor.
Kurdish-Islamist fighting spreads to Syrian oil fields
BEIRUT/ANKARA (Reuters) – Kurdish fighters have seized control of a Syrian town on the border with Turkey and are battling Islamist rebel groups linked to al Qaeda for control of oilfields in the northeast of the country.
Weary Portuguese blame ‘irresponsible’ leaders for crisis
LISBON (Reuters) – Struggling under unrelenting austerity, Portuguese have put the blame squarely on the country’s politicians for stirring an unnecessary crisis they say serves party interests to the detriment of the people.
Egypt risks civil war if Islamists are not included: AU
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Egypt risks being engulfed in a civil war unless its newly installed interim government includes Islamists, the African Union warned on Thursday.
Egypt’s Brotherhood absorbs blows, faces return to shadows
CAIRO (Reuters) – When Mohamed Wahdan of the Muslim Brotherhood was arrested last week, he got a taste of what life may be like for the Islamist movement now that the army has overthrown President Mohamed Mursi. It was a familiar feeling.
Exclusive: Egypt’s Brotherhood proposes first crisis talks via EU envoy
CAIRO (Reuters) – The Muslim Brotherhood said on Thursday it had proposed through an EU go-between a framework for talks to resolve Egypt’s political crisis, its first formal announcement of an offer for negotiations since President Mohamed Mursi was t…
Italy centre-left to back minister in no confidence vote
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s centre-left Democratic Party will support Interior Minister Angelino Alfano in a no-confidence vote on Friday over the deportation of the family of a dissident Kazakh oligarch, party secretary Guglielmo Epifani said on Thursday…
