Kerry resumes tough Israeli-Palestinian peace drive
AMMAN (Reuters) – Secretary of State John Kerry’s drive to revive Middle East peace talks hit familiar warning signals on Thursday as Israel’s prime minister stressed security needs and a Palestinian negotiator denounced Israeli settlement building.
Small anti-government protests rumble on in Turkish capital
ANKARA (Reuters) – Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in a residential area of the Turkish capital overnight, setting up barricades and lighting small bonfires.
Bulgaria gets two new deputy PMs in boost for fragile government
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria’s fragile new government, under pressure from daily protest rallies against graft and organized crime, got a sorely needed boost on Thursday when parliament approved two deputy prime ministers.
Obama starts long awaited Africa tour at slave port
DAKAR, Senegal (Reuters) – Almost four centuries after Africans started being shipped to North America as slaves, the first U.S. president of African ancestry will on Thursday visit an infamous embarkation point for those destined for lives in chains.
India begins mass cremation of flood victims, many missing
NEW DELHI, June 27 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – India began the mass cremation of bodies recovered after devastating floods in the country’s northern Himalayan region, government officials said on Thursday, adding that hundreds of people were still m…
Mali coup leader apologizes for ‘mistakes’
BAMAKO (Reuters) – The Malian army captain who led a coup last year that plunged the West African nation into crisis and allowed al Qaeda-linked fighters to seize half the country has apologized to the nation for his actions.
No sign of cyber leaker Snowden on flight to Cuba
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian passenger plane left Moscow for Havana on Thursday without any sign of former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden on board, witnesses said.
China, South Korea push for North Korea talks
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s president welcomed his South Korean counterpart on Thursday as an “old friend of China” and agreed to make a push for new talks with North Korea on Thursday as two of Asia’s newest leaders met for the first time.
Envoy says U.S. loses trust in Hong Kong after Snowden
HONG KONG (Reuters) – The top U.S. diplomat in Hong Kong warned on Thursday of a “big struggle” ahead to repair Washington’s trust in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory after the flight of fugitive spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Rights group says Egypt’s Brotherhood incites sectarian hatred
CAIRO (Reuters) – Human Rights Watch accused Egypt’s ruling Muslim Brotherhood on Thursday of inciting religious hatred that led to the lynching of four Shi’ite Muslims in Cairo this week.