Qatar’s emir hands power to son in unusual Gulf abdication
DOHA (Reuters) – Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani handed power on Tuesday to his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, in a rare abdication by a hereditary Gulf Arab ruler to try to ensure a smooth succession.
Ugandan politician arrested again as threat to stability
KAMPALA (Reuters) – Uganda’s leading opposition politician has been arrested by police for the second time in less than a week for trying to destabilize the country, the latest in a series of actions seen as aimed at silencing dissent.
EU rebukes Turkey on crackdown by delaying entry talks
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) – The European Union rebuked Turkey on Tuesday for its crackdown on anti-government protesters by postponing a new round of membership talks for at least four months, but said its path to the EU remained open.
Polish hospitals, offices evacuated after fake bomb threats
WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish officials evacuated hundreds of people on Tuesday from 21 hospitals and offices in several cities, including Warsaw, after receiving what turned out to be fake bomb threats, the interior minister said.
Former Italian prime minister Emilio Colombo dead at 93
ROME (Reuters) – Emilio Colombo, 93, who served as prime minister and was the last surviving member of the group that wrote Italy’s post-war republican constitution, has died, his office said on Tuesday.
Gunmen kill six Libyan soldiers at checkpoint near Sirte
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Six Libyan soldiers were killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen on an army checkpoint south of the coastal city of Sirte, once a stronghold of slain leader Muammar Gaddafi, a Libyan security source said on Tuesday.
Saudi sentences human rights activist to eight years in jail
RIYADH (Reuters) – A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a human rights activist to eight years in prison for sedition after his group campaigned for a constitutional monarchy and elections in the Gulf Arab kingdom.
Young Qatar emir likely to remain Gulf Arab exception
DUBAI (Reuters) – Ageing Gulf Arab rulers swiftly congratulated Qatar’s young new emir on his accession on Tuesday, but will be in no rush to emulate his father’s abdication – for them, hereditary rule is for life.
China dissident cites Tiananmen in praising Taiwan democracy
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng said on Tuesday that the pushing and shoving that comes with Taiwan’s raucous democracy was superior to “having tanks going rampant on the streets and squares”, referring to China’s 1989 Tiananmen Sq…
Egypt police arrest eight over Shi’ite killings: report
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian police have arrested eight people over the killing of five Shi’ite Muslims in a Cairo suburb, state media said on Tuesday, after footage of the attack spread on the Internet, heightening fears of sectarian violence.
