Saudi diplomat kidnapped in Yemen asks family to stage protests
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – A Saudi diplomat held hostage in Yemen for 18 months has urged his family to organize demonstrations asking the government to meet al Qaeda demands to free detained women and Muslim clerics as the best way to get him freed from ca…
Kosovo bans Macedonian goods in escalating trade dispute
PRISTINA/SKOPJE (Reuters) – Kosovo has banned the import of all products from neighboring Macedonia, officials said on Monday, in a tit-for-tat trade dispute that could cost Macedonian producers one of their most lucrative markets.
Mubarak’s last PM backs army’s Sisi for Egyptian president
CAIRO (Reuters) – Former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq says he will back army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for president, adding to speculation that the man who led the overthrow of President Mohamed Mursi could become head of state.
Norway’s opposition set for sweeping election victory
OSLO (Reuters) – Norway’s center-right opposition, pledging privatization, tax cuts and smaller government, was set for a sweeping election win on Monday but faces difficult coalition talks since a populist anti-immigration party will hold the balance …
Kerry says Syria’s chemical weapons controlled by Assad, two others
LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that the control of chemical weapons in Syria was limited to President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher and an unnamed general.
South Korea nuclear issues, tower protests raise blackout risks
MIRYANG, South Korea (Reuters) – South Korea faces possible power blackouts this winter and next summer, as cable safety issues and protests that are holding up completion of an ultra-high-voltage power line threaten to keep more nuclear reactors offli…
Cyprus rules out role in any U.S.-led strike on Syria
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus said on Monday it would have no involvement of any kind in a potential U.S.-led strike on Syria, which lies about 100 km (60 miles) to its east.
Russian diplomat shot dead in breakaway Georgian region
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A senior Russian diplomat in Georgia’s Moscow-backed breakaway Abkhazia region was shot dead on Monday by an unidentified gunman, Russian news agencies reported.
North Korea’s leader has a baby daughter: Rodman
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has a baby daughter, seemingly guaranteeing the future of a dynasty has ruled the isolated and impoverished state for three generations, according to U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman who met Kim last …
Kurdish militants say halting withdrawal from Turkey
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Kurdish militants said on Monday they had stopped withdrawing from Turkish soil, citing failures by the government to take steps agreed under a peace process, but pledged to maintain a ceasefire for now.
